2017 is the year of the 35th America’s Cup. The oldest trophy in international sport and a competition that will see six teams fighting it out on Bermuda’s Great Sound for the ultimate prize in sailing, and, arguably, the hardest trophy to win in sport.

Over 2015 and 2016 the teams battled tooth and nail around the world in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, finally won at the last round in Fukuoka, Japan by the British Land Rover BAR team. Throughout the series, all the teams were racing AC45F boats, foiling catamarans described by Emirates Team New Zealand Skipper Glenn Ashby as “brutal”.

As mighty as the AC45Fs are, they are the precursor to what comes next in 2017 – the frankly astounding America’s Cup Class boats, known as ACC boats, carbon-fibre, hydrofoiling catamarans capable of up to 90kmh and sailed by a crew of six.

This is the heart of the America’s Cup. Teams designing and building their own boats within a set of rules that presents scope for individual design genius, but creates a relatively level playing field that maximizes the competition between all the teams.

So far, as of date of this publication, none of the teams’ ACC boats have seen the light of day, but glimpses have been given as to what lies ahead. All the teams, whether in Bermuda, France, the UK or Bermuda, have been testing interim versions of the race boats they will campaign in 2017, AC45s with parts from their ACC boats added so they can be tried and tested, adopted or dumped as performance data dictates. These test platforms have been variously referred to as AC45T (turbo) boats, AC45S (surrogate) boats, or, simply, test boats, but from early 2017 the teams’ focus will be 100% on their ACC boats as they perfect systems and designs for the real action in May and June 2017.

One major difference between the ACC boats and the AC45Fs is how they are powered. Both boats need grinders on board to turn over the winches that operate systems. For the uninitiated, grinders are the muscle on board the boats, supremely powerful athletes capable of sustained bursts of energy that is used to operate sails or lift daggerboards. Well, that was until the ACC boats came along....

Now, a grinder’s role is to build up hydraulic reserves that are used by the Skipper to operate the primary systems on board a boat. In short, the grinders are the engines of the boat, so their ability to generate power will directly influence the boat speed, and speed gives the tacticians on board what they crave, the power to make decisions and act on them faster and more effectively than the competition.

This change in how race boats are operated is monumental. It is helping to increase the speed of the boats exponentially, hand in hand with vastly more intelligent understanding of hydrodynamics and the optimal use of foils, boat aerodynamics and a whole world of science that is translated into pure sporting heaven for the fans.

The teams will start to launch their boats in early 2017, and they will be out on the water testing them as much as they can, every single day if possible, between launch date and the start of racing in Bermuda on May 26th 2017.

The boats are going to be spectacular. The racing will be awesome. The athletes will be supreme, and the eyes of the world will be watching. Now comes the era of the ACC boat, and fast may its reign be!

Land Rover BAR - the British challenge headed by Olympic legend Ben Ainslie - has won the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series with a first place finish at the ultimate event in Japan this weekend.

Ainslie's team sailed extremely well to secure the overall title with a race to spare. With the overall series win, Land Rover BAR earns two bonus points for the next stage of the America's Cup (see below).

ORACLE TEAM USA and skipper Jimmy Spithill pushed hard, finishing ahead of BAR in the first race of the day, but Ainslie was able to sail with controlled aggression to a 4, 2, 3 scoreline, and into the overall series win.

"This has been a goal for us for the whole season and for this event. The guys have done an incredible job," Ainslie said from the water following the second race of the day.

"For us as a new team it sends out a strong message for all our supporters that we can do it."

For the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Fukuoka, it came down to a tie-break with Land Rover BAR clawing into a tie with Artemis Racing in the final contest, and taking the regatta by virtue of a better result in the last race.

But with attention shifting to Bermuda and the America's Cup racing next year, the focus was on the overall title and bonus points it confers.

By taking first place on the overall Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series leaderboard, Land Rover BAR has collected two bonus points to carry forward into next year's Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers in Bermuda.

With a second place finish on the overall leaderboard, ORACLE TEAM USA secured one bonus point for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers next year.

Sir Ben Ainslie, Skipper, Land Rover BAR: “It’s been an incredible day of racing and for our team, Land Rover BAR, to come out on top here in Fukuoka, Japan in the final race of the series, and to win the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, that was our goal and to achieve that is special for us. We are a completely new team, two and a half years ago we were a blank sheet back in Portsmouth in the UK and now, for our designers, our shore team and everyone back in the UK, it’s a real boost, so now we set our sights on Bermuda for the America’s Cup.

“Looking at this weekend, I think for all of us it’s what we love, when it gets aggressive. We had really good battles with Jimmy and with Emirates Team New Zealand and to go into that final race with the overall series sewn up, we were trying to get that bonus point off ORACLE TEAM USA and make life hard for them, but to their credit they did a good job of recovering.

“So, now we go ahead to next year. It’s going to be neck and neck and I can see it being incredibly tight. I think the bonus points are going to be a factor next year. They’re 20% of the points on offer in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers so it’s definitely worth having them, but also, for a new organization like ours, we need to show that we can perform at the highest level, for our own team, or our partners and our supporters, to show them all that we have a team with the capability of winning the America’s Cup, and I think we’ve shown that.

“I think this series has showcased just how tight it’s going to be in Bermuda next year. The level of competition and the skillsets of the sailors have been phenomenal, and now we move into our own race boats, our own designs, and I think that’s going to be fascinating for all the fans to see.”

Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, ORACLE TEAM USA: “"We wanted the points. We would have loved to have taken the two points,b ut one thing we weren't going to let happen was to have Emirates Team New Zealand take our point off us. So we ended up in a bit of match race with them at the end and the boys did a great job to keep them behind us."

"Our shore team and support crew and the guys on board have done a tremendous job over the last two years to make sure we had an opportunity to win it all, right down to the last day, and that's all you can ask for. I think it's a real tribute to them that we were in this position, but now we move on to the serious end of the business. The America's Cup is what we have to focus on now.

"We've been doing a lot of work in Bermuda and some great testing with SoftBank Team Japan and Artemis Racing, and we've got an extensive development program to go. Our shore team and engineering team and designers have continued to work away in Bermuda while we've been here, so we'll fly back there tomorrow and put the hammer down again."

Peter Burling, Helmsman, Emirates Team New Zealand: “It was really tough day out there and good to get some breeze at the end, especially after all the light air at the beginning. Despite that it was great to be properly racing and finish everything out there on the water. Full congratulations to Ben today for putting down a great performance and closing it out really well. For us, we were trying in that final race to give Jimmy a bit of a nudge to try and sneak that final bonus point, and it didn’t quite go our way. That’s racing though, we will learn from that, we’ll get stronger from it as a unit and then we’ll take those lessons into Bermuda in about six months time. For us it’s all about learning, getting better and putting ourselves in the best shape possible coming into the sailing in the ACC boats and we think we’re doing that.

“Not many of the penalties were going our way this weekend, but that’s how it is sometimes in yacht racing. Overall though, we’re still really happy to walk away with third in this Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. We keep learning at every event, and even though that might not show on the leaderboard in the last couple of regattas, we’ve grown a lot as a group and are already looking forward to the challenge in Bermuda next year.“

Nathan Outteridge, Skipper, Artemis Racing: “It was a bit better for us today. Two wins and fourth in the last one, and after a tough day yesterday it was really nice to have a good day today. I think the change in performance was down to getting off the line better and making really good calls at mark one. We took a lot out of yesterday and realized we had to sail better, and that’s what we did today. Overall, it’s great to finish towards the top in this regatta. We finished up on equal points with old Benny (Ben Ainslie)

“What we’ve learnt the most is just how much we have had to take on in the last year and a half. This world series has taught us many lessons and to be able to finish off the season with a first and a second is great for our team. It gives us a lot of confidence for when we get the ACC boats in the water and a performance like this makes us a bit closer to being race ready for 2017.”

Dean Barker, Skipper, SoftBank Team Japan: “This weekend has completely exceeded all my expectations. The number of people that have turned up, both in the Event Village and out on the water, and the genuine support for the team, it’s just really cool, especially when you consider that this team is only just over a year and a half old. We’ve not only quickly built up this following, we’ve also renewed interest in the America’s Cup and what it is now, so it’s been a fantastic experience.

“The cool thing is that people really do care about it. Sailing is not a big sport in Japan, they’ve had success in the Olympics but in recent times there’s been no real connection between Japan and the major international events so to see what’s happened here in Fukuoka is something we’re all extremely proud of. Seeing how much attention Fuku has had here shows that there is a genuine buy-in and take up of what we’re doing and that, as I say, exceeds the expectations we had for what’s happened this weekend.

“The other side of this weekend is what happened on the water, and unfortunately we just left too many points out there on the water. We turned a couple of good places into bad, we had a mechanical failure on Saturday that turned a second into sixth and as always with these events, you lose a few points here and there and then it all adds up at the end of the weekend to a result you didn’t want. However, with how well this whole event has gone, we cannot be disappointed, only happy with the first ever America’s Cup event in Japan.”

Franck Cammas, Skipper, Groupama Team France: “Well a victory in the end so it was positive to finish the event and the whole series like that. For sure we were a little upset with the first two races because we made a good start and had good position in the middle of the race but, like yesterday, we lost at the end of the race. However, we won the final race and we have to think about that next year when we are racing again in Bermuda.

“Now our focus is on the turbo boat and then on the ACC (America’s Cup Class) boat, improve all parts of the boat and keep working back in Brest. We will move some pieces from the turbo boat to the ACC boat and then we will ship everything to Bermuda and start building the base there. Then we will start to sail there at the beginning of March, and then it’s the America’s Cup itself!”

Kazuhiko “Fuku” Sofuku, Bowman and General Manager, SoftBank Team Japan: “I am really quite overwhelmed about how well this event has gone and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make it happen. I also want to thank all the people who came out to support us and the event, it really has been incredible, everything. As I say, it is overwhelming to see how many people turned up, so thank you.”

ORACLE TEAM USA had a hard-fought battle on Super Sunday in Fukuoka, emerging with a second place finish on the overall Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series leaderboard and securing a bonus point heading into the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers next year.

The racing was brutal at times on Sunday with the stakes high and critical bonus points on the line.

ORACLE TEAM USA started the day in second place on the leaderboard, but with a focus on overhauling the leading British challenger to secure a second bonus point. But despite narrowing the gap in the first race, it wasn't to be.

"We wanted the points. We would have loved to have taken the two points," said skipper Jimmy Spithill. "But one thing we weren't going to let happen was to have Team New Zealand take our point off us. So we ended up in a bit of match race with them at the end. And the boys did a great job to keep them behind us."

At one point in the racing on Sunday, both BAR and Team New Zealand were pushing penalties onto ORACLE TEAM USA, attempting to drive the team further down the rankings. But each time, Spithill and crew fought back.

"That's us just living the dream as the defender," joked Spithill after the racing.

"But I'd like to congratulate BAR for winning the series. You get what you deserve in this game, and they sailed well."

Spithill was also quick to credit the full ORACLE TEAM USA team for its efforts this year.

"Our shore team and support crew and the guys on board have done a tremendous job over the last two years to make sure we had an opportunity to win it all, right down to the last day, and that's all you can ask for," he said. "I think it's a real tribute to them that we were in this position."

With the Fukuoka event marking the conclusion of racing in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, ORACLE TEAM USA will now re-double its efforts in Bermuda, in preparation for racing next year.

"Now we move on to the serious end of the business," Spithill said. "The America's Cup is what we have to focus on now.

"We've been doing a lot of work in Bermuda and some great testing with SoftBank Team Japan and Artemis Racing, and we've got an extensive development program to go.

"Our shore team and engineering team and designers have been working away in Bermuda while we've been here, so we'll fly back there tomorrow and put the hammer down again."

Land Rover BAR - the British challenge headed by Olympic legend Ben Ainslie - has won the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series with a first place finish at the ultimate event in Japan this weekend.

Ainslie's team sailed extremely well to secure the overall title with a race to spare. With the overall series win, Land Rover BAR earns two bonus points for the next stage of the America's Cup (see below).

ORACLE TEAM USA and skipper Jimmy Spithill pushed hard, finishing ahead of BAR in the first race of the day, but Ainslie was able to sail with controlled aggression to a 4, 2, 3 scoreline, and into the overall series win.

"This has been a goal for us for the whole season and for this event. The guys have done an incredible job," Ainslie said from the water following the second race of the day.

"For us as a new team it sends out a strong message for all our supporters that we can do it."

For the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Fukuoka, it came down to a tie-break with Land Rover BAR clawing into a tie with Artemis Racing in the final contest, and taking the regatta by virtue of a better result in the last race.

But with attention shifting to Bermuda and the America's Cup racing next year, the focus was on the overall title and bonus points it confers.

By taking first place on the overall Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series leaderboard, Land Rover BAR has collected two bonus points to carry forward into next year's Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers in Bermuda.

With a second place finish on the overall leaderboard, ORACLE TEAM USA secured one bonus point for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers next year.

With just one more day of racing left in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, the overall series lead remains up for grabs.

On Saturday, ORACLE TEAM USA posted improving results over the course of the afternoon, with a 4, 2, 1 scoreline, leaving the defending America's Cup champion just one point off the lead.

"We sailed pretty well today," said skipper Jimmy Spithill. "We were on the back foot in the first race, but the boys rallied and you have to be able to come back from those tough situations and we did a good job of that today."

Watch the video highlights

Conditions were challenging, on the verge of foiling at the top end of about 12 knots of wind, but sailing with the big Code 0 headsails when the wind dropped to the lighter 6-8 knot range.

"These boats are pretty physical in these conditions, so it wasn't easy out there," Spithill said.

Sunday racing is scored with double points, meaning sixty points are available to the winner of the three scheduled races. Currently, ORACLE TEAM USA is in second place on the series leaderboard, 15 points behind former teammate Ben Ainslie's British challenge.

Spithill says the goal remains the same - a win in Fukuoka as well as the overall series title. But he admits it won't be easy.

"I think we have to come out tomorrow and go as hard as we can. It's so difficult to push one boat back but if there are any opportunites we'll take them.

"We're not shooting for second place. At the end of the day all we have to focus on tomorrow is winning races."

(An overall series win would be rewarded with two bonus points for next year's Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualfiers. Second place in the series means a one point bonus.)

ORACLE TEAM USA was joined during race one by Hidetoshi Nakata, the famous Japanese footballer.

"Every time I had a look at him he was smiling and seemed a little blown away at how fast the boats go on the foils," Spithill said. "He also looked very natural and well balanced. A lot of guests can have a hard time with that, but he looked very comfortable. I think he enjoyed himself."

Hakata Bay in Fukuoka was the scene for the historic first ever day of America’s Cup racing in Japan and it was Land Rover BAR who finished day one of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Fukuoka racing on top, adding one more point to their overall Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series lead.

The Event Village was full of thousands of Japanese fans and the wind helped the six America’s Cup teams put on a spectacular show of America’s Cup racing for the first time ever in Japan, and with a win for SoftBank Team Japan among the day’s highlights, it could not have been a better start to America’s Cup action in Japan.

In race one the start was tightly contested but it was series leaders Land Rover BAR who were quickly into the lead. Groupama Team France crossed the line early, leaving them with a startline penalty and putting them back into sixth, but as the boats headed to gate two it was the British team who were stamping their authority on the pack with only Emirates Team New Zealand giving close chase.

The fight at the front grew closer as the boats headed to mark three, Emirates Team New Zealand closed the gap to Land Rover BAR and then edged ahead as they set off on leg four. That lead was short lived, however, as an unexplained and somewhat dramatic move by the Kiwis halfway down leg four gave the advantage to Land Rover BAR, leaving the New Zealanders in second, Artemis Racing in third, Groupama Team France fourth, having clawed their way back after their startline penalty, and ORACLE TEAM USA and home favourites SoftBank Team Japan in fifth and sixth respectively.

In the end, even a late penalty on leg six could not slow up the British team too much, and they duly won the first race of the day ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis Racing, ORACLE TEAM USA, SoftBank Team Japan and Groupama Team France in that order.

Saturday’s second race saw SoftBank Team Japan take the early advantage, streaking into a lead with the boat up on its foils as they headed ORACLE TEAM USA and the rest of the pack to gate two. This time, Land Rover BAR were at the back of the pack, perfectly demonstrating the sheer unpredictability of America’s Cup racing in its modern guise.

Another penalty for Groupama Team France pushed them back behind the British team, but at the front of the pack ORACLE TEAM USA had a brief glimpse of the lead at gate 3 before SoftBank Team Japan regained their advantage as they foiled down leg four. From that point they never looked like losing and as the hometown favourites crossed the line in first place the cheers from the crowd could be heard in Tokyo!

ORACLE TEAM USA finished race two in second, Land Rover BAR, having staged a mighty comeback, were third, Artemis Racing were third and Emirates Team New Zealand and Groupama Team France again brought up the rear.

The final race of the day was race three and even though SoftBank Team Japan had a good start it was ORACLE TEAM USA who rounded the first mark in the lead. Behind them the Japanese and British teams were fighting for second and third and it was Ben Ainslie’s team who took the advantage, moving ahead of Dean Barker’s SoftBank Team Japan crew in third, but only for a short time as the Japanese team pushed themselves back into second on the fourth leg. Halfway towards mark four Land Rover BAR moved back ahead of SoftBank Team Japan who had a halyard failure slow them down and from that point the battle for second place was where the real action took place.

Emirates Team New Zealand had moved up and suddenly Groupama Team France were also in the mix with the Kiwis and the Brits, the race towards second place at the line seeing the advantage change constantly, but in the last race of Saturday it was ORACLE TEAM USA who were celebrating, Land Rover BAR in second, Emirates Team New Zealand in third, Groupama Team France in fourth and Artemis Racing just nudging ahead of SoftBank Team Japan in a photo finish at the finish line in a drag race on the foils for fifth.

The results mean Land Rover BAR heads ORACLE TEAM USA on both the Fukuoka and overall Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series leaderboards.

With bonus points for next year’s Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers in play for the top two finishers in the overall series, it’s still all to play for with four teams in with a shot at earning a head start in Bermuda.

Selected team quotes:

Kazuhiro “Fuku” Sofuku, Bowman and General Manager, SoftBank Team Japan: ““It was amazing this morning to walk through the streets and see so many people coming down to watch the event. It was great! It’s such a good opportunity for us to introduce the Japanese people to great sport and also to show people all around the world how beautiful our country is. We had mixed results today but we will work harder tomorrow and with the great support we have here I’m sure it will be a great day.”

Giles Scott, Tactician, Land Rover BAR: “We’re in a really great place. I think we’ve put one point on ORACLE TEAM USA today, we’ve held the lead we came into this regatta with, but it’s double points tomorrow so I don’t think we can rest on our laurels. The way I look at it, you ask any of these guys where they want to be coming into the final regatta, they’d be lying if they said they didn’t want to be in the lead. We're certainly no different, we’re happy with our lead and I think we’d take that pressure any day.

Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, ORACLE TEAM USA: "I thought we sailed pretty well today. We were on the back foot in the first race, but the boys rallied and you have to be able to come back from those tough situations and we did a good job of that today. I think we have to come out tomorrow and go as hard as we can. It's so difficult to push one boat back but if there are any opportunities we'll take them. We're fighting for the win. We're not shooting for second place. At the end of the day all we have to focus on tomorrow is winning races."

Franck Cammas, Skipper, Groupama Team France: “Throughout the day the wind was increasing and in the last race that meant we were able to foil and that was good for the show and for our team as the rest of the day was not really like that. In race three we had improved but we lost places at the last mark. We know the mistake we made but otherwise we were in the game in the middle of the fleet in the final race, the boat speed was good down wind, but there were too many mistakes and we have to avoid that tomorrow.”

Peter Burling, Helmsman, Emirates Team New Zealand: “It was a really tough day. It’s been a while since we sailed in those kind of conditions, I think the last time was Chicago, and to finally get the boats foiling, that’s what they’re designed for and it’s good that the crowd got to see that sort of spectacle. For us, we had a fair bit of rust on, as I say, we hadn’t sailed the boats in those sorts of conditions since Chicago, so there was a fair bit to chip away on and I think that’s why we were sailing better in the last race.”

Nathan Outteridge, Skipper, Artemis Racing: “It wasn’t the greatest of days for us and it progressively got worse I guess, looking at the points, but today was probably about as hard as these boats are to sail. We were pretty happy with our first two races, it was a bit disappointing to lose Ben right at the final mark, and in that last one we probably just pushed a bit too hard at the start, a bit too aggressive trying to get round that first mark in the first two, and got a bunch of penalties because of that. However, we fought hard to get back into it and beat SoftBank Team Japan right there at the end, and got that final point and that point will probably mean a lot tomorrow.

ORACLE TEAM USA had a strong day on the water on Friday in Fukuoka, Japan, ahead of racing in the ultimate event of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series.

With a scoreline of 2, 1, 3, 2, on the official practice day, the team is prepared to make a late push for the top of the series leaderboard in an effort to secure the bonus points available to the top two teams at the conclusion of the series.

"It was some great racing today," said skipper Jimmy Spithill. "The course was nice and close to shore, there were a few passing lanes, it was nice to get at it. We had some good battles."

For Spithill, who needed to sit out the last event in Toulon due to an injury, it's a welcome return to the race course.

"It's been a while. I tore the tendon off my elbow in Portsmouth and unfortunately had to sit out the last event in France," said Spithill.

"It's pretty difficult to sit on the sidelines, but I took it as an opportunity to see it from outside and learn from a different perspective. But I'm hungry as ever now to try and bounce back and work with the guys to get us some points."

Watch the preview video here

The final race of the day was the designated substitute race, which may be scored over the weekend should conditions not be suitable for racing. ORACLE TEAM USA earned what could prove to be a valuable second place in that race.

Six races are scheduled over the next two days - three on Saturday, and three races, with double scoring points, on Sunday.

ORACLE TEAM USA is in second place on the overall leaderboard - a good result in this final event in Fukuoka could result in the team taking the win.

"We are here for a win and we'd love to get to the top. We'll be doing everything we can to overhaul the leaders," Spithill said. "I think it will come down to those last races on Sunday."

The stage is set for the final weekend of racing in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series.

The ultimate event is taking place in Fukuoka, Japan this weekend, the first America's Cup racing in Asia, and showcase event for SoftBank Team Japan, the first Japanese Cup challenger in 15 years.

Land Rover BAR has a 14 point lead over ORACLE TEAM USA going into the final races in the two-year series.

But with 90 points on offer over the six races scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, the fight for the title is still open.

“It is very close in terms of the overall points. We have a bit of a gap to the other two boats, but in reality we’re going to have to sail really well this weekend if we want to end up on top in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series," said Ben Ainslie. "We have to do the absolute best we can."

While second placed ORACLE TEAM USA has their sights set on the top of the leaderboard, the team could be forgiven for looking over its shoulder at Emirates Team New Zealand, who are just three points back. But skipper Jimmy Spithill says the focus is on taking a win.

"We never think about looking after second place," Spithill said. "We are here for the win. No question, it’s Ben’s to lose but stranger things have happened. We'll be giving everything we can to try and reach the top."

The spotlight this weekend won't only be on the leaderboard. For SoftBank Team Japan, this weekend marks an opportunity to bring America's Cup racing to Asia and Japan for the very first time.

SoftBank Team Japan sailor and general manager Kazuhiko Sofuku sailed with previous Japanese challenges, but this is the first time he's been able to race in his homeland.

“I’m very excited to be here and already I feel like this is going to be a really big event," he says. "There is so much enthusiasm from the media and the fans and I know ticket sales have gone very well. I am looking forward to seeing everybody who is going to come out to see us this weekend.

“For us as a team this could be the perfect way to keep building up our performance. We were third in Chicago and Portsmouth, then second in Toulon and we keep improving so as long as we do that the results will follow.”

On Friday, the teams took to the water for Official Practice racing, with SoftBank Team Japan taking a popular first race win.

Four races were completed in light to moderate conditions. The final race of the day was the designated substitute race, which may be scored over the weekend should conditions not be suitable for racing. Series leader Land Rover BAR took the win, with ORACLE TEAM USA in second place.

Six races are scheduled over the next two days - three on Saturday, and three more worth double points on Super Sunday.

Ernesto Bertarelli (left) received a half-hull of "Reliance" from Steve Tsuchiya (center) chairman of the selection committee and Bill Lynn (right), CEO of the Herreshoff Marine Museum, home of the America's Cup Hall of Fame. "Reliance" defeated Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock III in 1903 and was Nat Herreshoff's masterpiece - over 202 feet (60m) from the tip of the bowsprit to the end of the boom, with a bulb keel of 102 tons.

The New York Yacht Club's storied Model Room was the site of the induction ceremony for two leading personalities in America's Cup history, Ernesto Bertarelli and Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, fourth Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl.

Dunraven - Vilified Polymath and Innovator

Dunraven was a soldier, journalist, yacht designer, adventurer and statesman. He challenged for the America's Cup twice, in 1893 and 1895. He was the first person to propose challenger selection trials, but was refused by the New York Yacht Club. His massive yachts Valkyrie II and Valkyrie III ushered in the golden age of the 90 footers. Unfortunately for Dunraven, this was also the beginning of the Herreshoff era. Nathanael Green Herreshoff designed and built yachts that won the America's Cup six times in a row, beginning with Vigilant in 1893 and Defender in 1895. In 1895, Dunraven chose to believe his advisors who told him that his opponent had cheated by taking on extra ballast at night, lengthening her waterline. An acrimonious and public feud was fought in the press and in an investigation conducted by the New York Yacht Club. "Defender" was cleared of wrong-doing and Dunraven was vilified.

Bertarelli - the First and Only Challenger to Succeed on the First Try

"Anytime you do something that you love, you have that smile on your face."

Ernesto Bertarelli built his Alinghi team around a core group of Kiwi sailors who had already won the America's Cup twice - Russell Coutts, Brad Butterworth, Murray Jones, Warwick Fleury, Simon Daubney and Dean Phipps. All of them are now members of the America's Cup Hall of Fame. He assembled a complete team of designers, managers, boat builders and shore crew. In 2004 he initiated what is now called the America's Cup World Series, organizing a series of regattas as part of the buildup to the 2007 America's Cup. The 32nd America's Cup, held in Valencia, Spain, is the only America's Cup to turn a profit and pay out shares of the proceeds to all the competitors. After two years of unfriendly competition in the New York courts, Alinghi lost the America's Cup in 2010 to BMW Oracle Racing, in massive multihulls that recalled the golden era of Dunraven, Lipton and Herreshoff.

Bertarelli gave an eloquent acceptance speech, saying, "The journey that has brought me here was not a solo expedition, but rather one made possible – and shared – by the hundreds of people whose talent, passion and dedication were the DNA of the Alinghi Team. To them all, I say, remember the mission that we set ourselves all those years ago: ‘We want to build a team to be proud of’. We did it!”

Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby's dry sense of humour is on display in his final comment in this video of the team training in the Southern Hemisphere winter. Just after the Kiwis show a foiling tack, Ashby tells us, "We're going OK."

Building an Island in Bermuda

Image: OTUSA Video

Oracle's Race Boat Arrives in Bermuda

The America's Cup Class yacht that Oracle will race in the America's Cup Match next year has arrived in Bermuda. The team will now assemble the hulls, crossbeams and pod, which were built in New Zealand. Electronics, hydraulics, winch systems and other equipment will be installed. The boat may not be launched before 27 December, 150 days before the first race of the America's Cup Qualifiers. Click the photo to see the boat being constructed and to hear General Manager Grant Simmer talk about the process.

Moving to Fukuoka

The final stop for the AC World Series is Fukuoka, Japan. Fifty containers are on their way from Toulon.

Image: ACEA Video

Racing is scheduled for 19-20 November. From the leaderboard below, you can see that Land Rover BAR's 14 point lead will make them hard to catch. Winning the AC World Series would give them two bonus points in next year's round robin America's Cup Qualifiers. Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand will be fighting for the bonus point that goes to the runner up. Oracle has yet to win a World Series regatta; this is their last chance. SoftBank Team Japan and Artemis Racing will be battling for fourth place. Since the AC World Series results will be used to break ties in the Qualifiers, every place counts, and these teams will be fighting hard. Groupama Team France looks unlikely to escape the cellar - they will have to count on a good performance in the Qualifiers to avoid elimination.

ORACLE TEAM USA is proud to announce Harken, the performance sailing hardware and industrial solutions specialists, will provide hardware for its America’s Cup yachts as an Official Supplier.

Harken’s involvement in the America’s Cup dates back 30 years to Perth, Australia. The boats have changed dramatically since then, from 12-metre class monohulls to foiling wing-sailed catamarans, and the demands an America’s Cup team places on its deck hardware supplier has only increased.

“Working in the America’s Cup pushes us to the limit,” says Peter Harken, the Chairman of Harken.

“We started in 1987 with winches and titanium blocks but now with these boats, we’ve had to learn to work in a whole different medium with the hydraulic systems.

“Everything has to be super strong and zero weight. These guys beat the heck out of the equipment. It has to withstand that. We gain a lot of knowledge from that.”

See the video here - https://youtu.be/Vb0i0VEDUvo

“Harken is constantly developing their gear,” said Brad Webb, Boat Systems Manager, ORACLE TEAM USA. “They’re constantly trying to find ways to make it lighter, stronger, and more efficient.”

“As one of the grinders on board, I can say the pedestals, the pumps and the winches are key to how we sail every day,” said Graeme Spence, a sailor on ORACLE TEAM USA who is responsible for working on the winches and systems on board. There are lots of adaptations and demands on the technology and Harken is always up to the challenge.”

Harken is also a partner of the AC Endeavour youth education and sailing program.

“When AC Endeavour came to us, right away we said: ‘we’re in, we’re with you’,” Harken explained. “The great thing about sailing as a sport is that it requires brains as well as athletic ability. With AC Endeavour, the kids learn all of the skills that are associated with sailing. I think it’s the greatest sport in the world and a fantastic one for kids to grow up with.”

Harken hardware is on ORACLE TEAM USA’s testing and racing yachts and will be on its new America’s Cup Class boat, which is scheduled to be launched early in the new year.

Toulon, France, Sunday, September 11, 2016-The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Toulon has proved to be a difficult event for ORACLE TEAM USA. But there are silver linings.

A tough day in more light conditions on Super Sunday saw the team drop to sixth on the event results table.

On the positive side of the ledger, ORACLE TEAM USA retains second place on the overall series leaderboard, in one of the two ‘bonus point’ positions heading into the last event in Fukuoka Japan in November.

Tom Slingsby, subbing in for skipper Jimmy Spithill, battled hard throughout the weekend, but the team could only break into a podium finish once in six races over the weekend.

Getting off the start line cleanly, and in a front row position, was difficult on Sunday. And making up ground was too challenging, leading to a 4 – 5 – 6 scoreline on the day.

“It was tough,” Slingsby admitted. “Today we didn’t perform. It’s frustrating, but we have to take the positives. We’re still in with a shout for the bonus point at the end of the series. So we need to re-group before the next one in Fukuoka, Japan.

“At ORACLE TEAM USA we hold ourselves to a high standard and when we don't perform we’re hard on ourselves. But what we do is learn from our mistakes and we come back stronger. I’m focusing on that now and what I can do to come back and help our team win the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.”

Late summer sunshine greeted the thousands of spectators who made it out in force for Super Sunday at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Toulon, and it is Artemis Racing who leave France celebrating after taking the regatta honours.

Behind them, Softbank Team Japan went from last on Saturday to finishing second overall, an incredible turnaround, but the British boys on Land Rover BAR were also looking much happier than they had on Saturday night, ending up third overall from fifth the day before.

That result extends their overall lead in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series as attention now turns to the final event in Fukuoka, Japan.

The first race of Sunday was race four, led away by Emirates Team New Zealand under the helm of Olympic Champion Pete Burling, but, as per Saturday, Artemis Racing were quickly up ahead and around the first mark ahead of Softbank Team Japan who were very keen to make amends for their disappointing Saturday.

Behind them Land Rover BAR had a penalty before the startline but fought hard up to third place at the halfway mark with ORACLE TEAM USA, Groupama Team France and Emirates Team New Zealand behind. Artemis stretched their lead, crossing the line at the end of race three first for the third time over the weekend, but it was Groupama Team France who were most disappointed with race four, finishing in sixth behind Emirates Team New Zealand and slipping to fourth in the regatta standings. Land Rover BAR held that third place, but ORACLE TEAM USA kept up the overall standings pressure just behind in fourth, so everything was there to play for in races five and six.

The thousands of fans lining the Toulon shore were hoping for a better showing from Groupama Team France in race five but it was Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR who seized the early advantage, streaking ahead to the first mark, but to loud cheers from the shore, Groupama Team France were second, showing the sort of form that put them into second place overnight in the regatta on Saturday. Artemis Racing and Softbank Team Japan both had to serve penalties after the start, but all eyes were on the French team in second and they did not disappoint, pushing the Brits all the way. However, yet again in Toulon, Artemis Racing were the team to watch, moving their way up to third by the start of leg four. Behind them, ORACLE TEAM USA were having a race to forget in sixth, as were Softbank Team Japan who were in fifth, leaving Emirates Team New Zealand in fourth.

At the finish line of race five the positions had not changed – Land Rover BAR in first, Groupama Team France second and Artemis Racing third, but Softbank Team Japan had moved into fourth, leaving ORACLE TEAM USA battling it out with Emirates Team New Zealand for fifth and sixth respectively.

Race six, the decider and an utterly enthralling and topsy-turvy race. A messy start for ORACLE TEAM USA and Artemis Racing who were both hit with penalties for crossing the startline early, but Groupama Team France finally showed their mettle, putting clear air between themselves and Softbank Team Japan in second and taking a huge early advantage. Land Rover BAR picked up a penalty for not giving room to Emirates Team New Zealand, relegating them to the back of the fleet, but throughout the race that ensued there were lead changes in the overall standings throughout, keeping the fans watching live at the event and on TV on the edge of their seats.

One minute it was Groupama Team France up ahead, then suddenly Softbank Team Japan were out in front, Emirates Team New Zealand were second and the home team, Groupama Team France, were third, and thus race six finished.

With that result in the last race, Softbank Team Japan, sixth on Saturday, had, incredibly, put themselves into second overall in the regatta, but it was Artemis Racing who were really celebrating, taking overall regatta honours despite finishing fifth in race six.

Land Rover BAR finished the weekend third, Groupama Team France fourth, Emirates Team New Zealand fifth and ORACLE TEAM USA sixth.

Those results extend Land Rover BAR’s lead in the overall series to 14 points over ORACLE TEAM USA, so the pressure in the last round in Fukuoka, Japan, will be intense, but for now, the Swedish are celebrating harder than anyone and will be looking to continue that form in Asia.

For full results and standings please see the results section of www.americascup.com

Nathan Outteridge, Skipper, Artemis Racing: “Very happy indeed! To come away with a win in Toulon in what were very light, difficult conditions is good. We had a very good day on Saturday but to back it up with another strong performance on Sunday is obviously very pleasing.

“I think we’ve made some big strides in how we sail the boat and how we deal with the racecourses and the race format. It was pretty obvious that we weren’t really up to it at the start of the series, but that’s what the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is for, it’s to prepare you for the America’s Cup and it feels like we’re on the right way up. We’re very happy with the decision making in the races between Perc (Iain Percy) and myself and we couldn’t be happier with how we’re sailing the boat right now.

“Our boat handling skills in light winds were a bit of a weakness and we’ve been preparing for a while now for dealing with exactly these sorts of conditions so when you’ve put that much time and effort into preparing for a certain wind range, you kind of want it, and that’s what we got this weekend. A lot of teams were disappointed with the weather, but we were excited as it gave us a chance to put into practice what we’ve been working on, so to win as we did is just great.”

Dean Barker, Skipper, Softbank Team Japan: “Yesterday was a tough day. We felt like we’d sailed ok but we just had some bad results. Today though we spent a lot of time talking through the situations and how we could do things better and to bounce back with a strong day means we’re really happy with how this weekend has ended. To be on the podium is very pleasing, and that’s obviously the goal, to keep improving.

“These events are the chance we have to measure the performance of the team, to see where we’re performing and improving as a group. There’s obviously a lot of relevance to what we’re doing in Bermuda but there’s elements at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series that are missing, in terms of technology and design, but we can still see improvements in how we work as a team, so that’s good.

“Looking ahead to Japan it’s going to be great for us, let alone it being a home race for our team, it’s another chance to take another step up in performance again. Seeing the support the British guys had at Portsmouth, and Franck and his crew had here, it will be special for us to race in Fukuoka so we can’t wait to get out there and perform in front of our team’s home fans. That, and the fact it’s another chance to prepare again for next year, they’re both good reasons to be excited about the last round of the series.”

Giles Scott, Tactician, Land Rover BAR: “It was a tricky day. We were a bit disappointed with the way we started yesterday in particular and last night we came together and had a really productive debrief. We went through what we needed to change today and I think we showed that worked. We went back to being our normal selves and started sailing the right way. It’s a bit of a shame that in the last race we came off poorly from the penalty at the start, but overall we recovered somewhat.

“Really though, the win of the weekend for us is the fact that we have managed to pull away in the overall standings in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. We’re super happy with that and, looking forward to Japan, there’s still an awful lot of points up for grabs so we’ll approach that regatta like no other and hope we can stay on top of the leaderboard.”

Franck Cammas, Skipper, Groupama Team France: “It was amazing this weekend. To hear all the people who came out to see the show was a great feeling for us and all the teams. The event was organized really well and to have this many fans all weekend was almost a great surprise! To find out that many people wanted to come and support us was something special and we will use that as extra motivation to keep pushing everyone in Groupama Team France.

“In Japan the goal is clear - we want to improve as a team. It’s good to be able to work from our base, but when you’re in these events you can measure yourself against the competition, and Japan is another chance to do that. We have the chance to improve our communication and teamwork as a crew on board, in the live race environment, and that’s why these world series events are so important.”

Glenn Ashby, Skipper, Emirates Team New Zealand: “As we’ve seen, teams are winning regattas even when they’re finishing last, so it just shows that anything can happen. We’re still in touch with the lead and with a good performance in Japan, who knows what can happen. I can say though that we will certainly be going for the win in the last round and the overall series, so let’s see what happens.”

Tom Slingsby, Helmsman, ORACLE TEAM USA: “At ORACLE TEAM USA we hold ourselves to a high standard and when we don't perform we’re hard on ourselves. But what we do is learn from our mistakes and we come back stronger. I’m focusing on that now and what I can do to come back and help our team win the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.”

Tom Slingsby, the Olympic gold medallist who played a critical role as strategist during the 2013 America’s Cup, will take over as helmsman for ORACLE TEAM USA at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series this weekend in Toulon.

Regular skipper and helmsman Jimmy Spithill is still recovering from surgery on his elbow and elected to pass the baton to Slingsby rather than risk slowing his recovery.

For Slingsby, the change from tactician to helmsman will be a challenge, as there is nearly no practice time allowed in sailing the AC45F catamarans. The starts, a critical part of the race, are likely going to present the steepest learning curve.

“It is going to be tough. We only have a couple of very short practice sessions before the racing. When to pull the trigger on the starts is a real ‘feel’ thing and obviously, I will need the practice,” Slingsby said.

“We do great de-briefs with our coach, Philippe Presti, after each day to ensure we keep improving, and I know I’ll be getting pushed hard.”

“I think the fact that he’s been on board for all of the events so far will help Tom on the starts,” Presti said. “I think he’s excited, and I think he’ll do well.”

The man he’s replacing in Toulon, skipper Jimmy Spithill, agrees.

“No team can rely on one person,” Spithill says. “We’ve always set up for this, with a back-up at each position. We have the depth and the talent and I think the guys will be really competitive this weekend and get the job done.”

On Thursday, the team was able to squeeze in a short practice session in idyllic conditions on the bay off Toulon. The wind was 15-18 knots, warm weather, bright sunshine. While the sun is forecast through the weekend, lighter conditions are expected to prevail.

The agreement, which is effective immediately, is for the 2016/17 season. Viewers can tune-in to Kwesé Free Sports in countries where the free-to-air channel is available.

Live coverage starts with this month’s Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Toulon, France, September 10-11. Live and highlights programming from all remaining events of the 35th America’s Cup, through to the final races in Bermuda in June 2017 will be featured on Kwesé Free Sports with delayed coverage available on the Kwesé app.

This is the latest addition to what is already an impressive portfolio of sporting rights held by Kwesé Sports. Commenting on the significance of the partnership, Chief Executive Officer of Econet Media Joseph Hundah says, “We are excited about bringing premium sports to audiences across the continent. As we continue to diversify our offering we are exposing African sports fans to sporting formats which were previously inaccessible to many viewers. Through this and our many other partnerships Kwesé Sports is opening up a whole new world of premium sports to the continent”.

Bermuda, Monday, September 05, 2016 - ORACLE TEAM USA will have a new hand guiding the team around the race course during the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Toulon next week.

Sailing team manager and tactician/helmsman Tom Slingsby will take over steering the boat with skipper/helmsman Jimmy Spithill electing not to compete as he rehabs an injured elbow.

“I wanted to be 100% right before I load it up in racing environment,” Spithill explained.

“The rehab is coming along well and I may actually be fit enough to race, but there’s a slight chance that I could re-injure it by coming back too early, and that’s a risk we don’t need to take.

“Tom has been steering and racing our AC45S boat in Bermuda a lot over the summer and I know he’s keen to get out there and show what he can do. We have such depth and talent on this team, I am confident that Tom will deliver a good performance,” he continued.

The full race crew in Toulon will consist of:

Tom SlingsbyKyle LangfordSam NewtonJoe NewtonLouis Sinclair

Sailor Andrew Campbell will be with the team as well as a back-up sailor.

“This was always something we had to be prepared for as a team,” Slingsby said.

“In any position on board, you want to have a good back-up who can step in. Jimmy is very talented and experienced. I know it won’t be easy but I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

Tom Slingsby is a Olympic gold medalist in the Laser class in 2012 and was tactician on board of ORACLE TEAM USA victory in 2013.

ORACLE TEAM USA head into the penultimate event of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series this week just one point back of the lead.

The top two teams at the conclusion of the series collect bonus points to carry into the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers in Bermuda in May 2017.

Oracle posted an interesting video with designer Aaron Perry explaining that they can use a 3D printer to make parts straight from digital files in their CAD system. They can "print" parts in titanium, aluminum or plastic. The drawings on Aaron's screen in the video are the AC Class yacht. You can see the joint where the bow section unbolts and the extension or "horn" on the stern for the umpire light stack, the GPS antenna and the agile TV camera. In addition, you can see that the rudder position is very different from the AC45X "sport" boat the team is testing in Bermuda.

New Zealand Ran Into a Mooring and Stopped

In a tight rounding situation in at the last mark in Portsmouth, Team New Zealand ran into a mooring and stopped dead in the water.

The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth saw over 130,000 people engage with the event and watch Sir Ben Ainslie's home team take victory.

This was the second consecutive year the event was held in Portsmouth and feedback from residents, visiting fans, exhibitors, competing teams and commercial partners has deemed the event a huge success.

The paid-ticketed Race Village attracted numbers of 36,234. Entertainment included interactive family attractions, a live stage show with appearances from the six America's Cup sailing stars, daily spectacular aerial displays plus the best views of the America's Cup action.

On the water an armada of over 3,000 supporting vessels and an estimated 34,927 on water spectators lined the race course to watch the racing unfold and on land outside of the Race Village over 60,000 fans enjoyed the spectacle from along the seafront and sites in and around Portsmouth.

"It's brilliant for us as the home team to win again in front of our home crowd," said Ainslie, the skipper and team principal of Land Rover BAR. "Personally, it was a special moment in my sailing career and I have never seen crowds like that at a sailing event. The amount of people that came out on the water, on the shore line and in the Race Village to support the event completely blew us away. It meant a huge amount to us to perform well in front of our home crowd and I cannot tell you how proud I am of the team that we have got as far as we have in the space of time we have had.

"Two years ago Land Rover BAR did not exist and now we are beating established teams, we have an incredible state-of-the-art base in Portsmouth and over 130,000 people turning out to cheer us on at our home regatta.

"The event was an incredible success with great racing and a great atmosphere and one can imagine what it would be like if we were able to win the actual America's Cup next June in Bermuda and bring it home to Great Britain for the first time since 1851."

The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series action now moves on to Toulon, France in September, followed by Fukuoka, Japan in November.

Total engaged in the event over the 4 days 133,763 as below (does not include fans watching from non-ticketed areas):

* 36,234: Total inside The Race Village over the 4 days* 62,602: Total engaged outside of Race Village* 34,927: Total spectators on water (3,071 boats on water)

Today marks day 30 of the countdown to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Toulon. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the focus is on Olympic sailing action in Rio at the 2016 Olympic Games. The America’s Cup and Olympians have a long affinity and the six teams which will compete in Toulon over the 9th, 10th and 11th September count among their crews 11 Olympic gold medals, with the possibility of more being added in 2016 as five regular America’s Cup sailors vie for medals in the current Games.

The rich history of the America’s Cup and the Olympics includes some legendary names, including Dennis Conner, Paul Cayard and Frenchman Marc Pajot battling it out in small boat racing, and competing with various levels of success in the Olympic Games. New Zealander Russell Coutts, CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority is among the gold medallists from the Los Angeles Games and many Olympic sailing greats will be among those on show in Toulon in a month’s time.For the Brits, the most famous Olympian sailor is Ben Ainslie, Skipper of Land Rover BAR, winner of the last Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event in Portsmouth and overall leader in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. Ben is the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time counting four gold medals and one silver across the Finn and Laser classes. Also on Land Rover BAR, Ben’s replacement helmsman Leigh McMillian has competed in two Olympic Games, as has Giles Scott, currently competing in Brazil in the Finn class.

The team with the biggest number of Olympians is without doubt the Swedish team, Artemis Racing. Amongst the 11 sailors, nine have already participated in at least one Olympic Games. GBR’s Iain Percy has two golds and one silver medal under his belt (Finn and Star). Switzerland’s Fred Lööf (Tactician) has competed six times in the Games with a Star class victory in London. Paul Goodison pulled in a gold in 2008 in the Laser Class and has competed in three Olympics, as has Italian helmsman for the Portsmouth leg Francesco Bruni. Skipper Nathan Outerridge and Iain Jensen are synonymous with the 49er class and the reigning gold medalists. On a somewhat related link, Anders Gustafsson, Grinder for the Swedish team, has participated in four Games...in kayak canoes.

ORACLE TEAM USA also added specialist talent from other Olympic disciplines in recruiting the open water swimmer and two-time participant in the Games, Australian Ky Hurst. The Defenders also have Tom Slingsby, Australian gold medallist in the Laser Class. Not to be outdone, SoftBank Team Japan’s CEO, Helmsman and Skipper, Dean Barker, represented his home country New Zealand in 2004 in the Finn Class, and his tactician Chris Draper brought home a bronze medal in the same year in 49ers.Finally Emirates Team New Zealand’s Skipper Glenn Ashby, was a silver medallist for Australia in Beijing in the Tornado class and the new stars of the 49ers, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are currently in Rio preparing to take on Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen for their title, won in London 2012.

What about the French, a proud sailing nation. Franck Cammas, helmsman and skipper of Groupama Team France, was pushing hard for an Olympic spot in the Nacra 17 Class, as was team member Matthieu Vandame, but neither made it to the Games this year. The only Frenchman involved in the America’s Cup right now who has competed in the Olympic Games in two classes (Finn and Soling) is none other than the coach of ORACLE TEAM USA, the highly experienced Philippe Presti.To sum up, five men are running Olympic campaigns in parallel with their preparations for the 35th America’s Cup. Two brilliant teams will come head to head in the same series (49er) in Rio when Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen from Artemis Racing, the title holders and four-time world champions, will take on New Zealand stars Peter Burling and Blair Tuke from Emirates Team New Zealand who were silver medallists in London 2012, and who are also four-time world champions. On the British side the double Finn world champion Giles Scott from Land Rover BAR will attempt to match the record set by his mentor, old adversary and now team mate, Sir Ben Ainslie. All these supremely talented men will be aboard the AC45Fs which will compete in 30 days time in Toulon, at the only French stopover for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. From Rio to Toulon, the action will be spectacular so do not miss out!

It really was Super Sunday for Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR whose second place in the last of Sunday’s three races gave them the overall regatta win at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth event.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on hand to present the awards and it was a fitting end to an amazing weekend of action for the British fans in Portsmouth.

“I think it’s been a brilliant weekend,” said Sir Ben Ainslie, the skipper of Land Rover BAR.

“For us to race in Portsmouth, in front of our home crowd with the weather playing its part and two cracking days of racing, as a home team to win in front of our home crowd is the best thing we could do.”

The winds on Sunday presented the teams with perfect conditions for the AC45F boats to foil, wowing the tens of thousands of people along the Portsmouth shoreline who had come out to cheer on their favourite teams. The loudest cheers were for Land Rover BAR and it was the British team who took the early lead in race one.

ORACLE TEAM USA led the chasing pack but the crew on board Land Rover BAR had their feet on the gas and kept building an ever bigger lead, using home water knowledge and the cheers of the crowd to help power them to victory in race one, an ominous sign for the rest of the America’s Cup fleet. Behind them, ORACLE TEAM USA were second, Emirates Team New Zealand third, Softbank Team Japan fourth, Artemis Racing fifth and Groupama Team France sixth.

At the start of race two it was ORACLE TEAM USA who seized the early advantage, leading Softbank Team Japan and Land Rover BAR at the first mark. Jimmy Spithill’s US crew were right on top of their game and increased their lead throughout the race, but behind them Emirates Team New Zealand, Land Rover BAR and Softbank Team Japan were engaged in an almighty scrap for second with Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France in fifth and sixth respectively. It was Land Rover BAR in second, Softbank Team Japan in third, Emirates Team New Zealand in fourth, Sweden’s Artemis Racing in fifth and Groupama Team France again in sixth.

Victory for ORACLE TEAM USA set up the final race as a nail-biting conclusion to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth as Land Rover BAR only needed to finish ahead of ORACLE TEAM USA to win the overall regatta honours, and to take top spot in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series standings.

The clock ticked down to the crucial start of race three and it was ORACLE TEAM USA who took the lead off the starting line, just ahead of the British team and the Kiwis on board Emirates Team New Zealand who were watching their series lead disappear ahead of them. The tension was palpable as the British and US teams made their way back down the course, but just after the midway point of the race ORACLE TEAM USA started to edge further away, leaving Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR to defend their second place from Emirates Team New Zealand. That second place was all the British team needed to secure overall victory in the regatta and it was never really in doubt, finally winning the regatta by a single point from ORACLE TEAM USA 82 to 81.

Behind the US and Brits was Softbank Team Japan in third, Emirates Team New Zealand in fourth, Groupama Team France in fifth and Artemis Racing sixth.

The win also put the British team into first place on the overall Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series leaderboard, overtaking Emirates Team New Zealand who drop to third with ORACLE TEAM USA in second, Softbank Team Japan in fourth, Artemis Racing fifth and Groupama Team France in sixth.

Hot, sunny conditions and thousands of fans lining the Portsmouth seafront was the backdrop to Saturday’s crowd-pleasing Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series action, the first day of points scoring races on the Solent at the 2016 event.

The home team, Land Rover BAR, led by skipper Sir Ben Ainslie, recovered from a poor first race result to win the second two contests and complete the day at the top of the leaderboard, much to the delight of the tens of thousands of cheering fans lining the shorefront.

"We wanted to perform well in front of the home crowd to give them something to cheer for – it’s an extra impetus. We’ve been training hard, preparing thoroughly and the guys are really fired up for it,” said Land Rover BAR skipper Ben Ainslie.

“It was very tight racing in quite light and difficult winds. We got caught out in the first race, we were in a strong position and then got stuck with Japan and both of us sailed ourselves to the back of the fleet from second and third which was really frustrating.

“But I was pleased with the way we regrouped for the final two races. We fought hard and kept going to come away with two wins; and to top the day in such difficult conditions at our home event was a great effort.”

At the start of race one it was Land Rover BAR and Groupama Team France who led the pack, Softbank Team Japan in third and Artemis Racing, ORACLE TEAM USA and Emirates Team New Zealand all incurring penalties as they crossed the start line fractions of a second too early. The French team made a tactical decision heading to Gate 2 that really paid off and quickly built a good lead. The battle behind the French was fierce, with boats making contact as the light conditions tested the crews to the limit, but at the finish line it was Groupama Team France in first, ORACLE TEAM USA recovering to second and Emirates Team New Zealand in third. Behind them, a drag race for fourth between Softbank Team Japan and Land Rover BAR was finally settled in favour of the Japanese on a photo finish, with Artemis Racing bringing up the rear in sixth.

Race two was another penalty-fest at the start, with every team except Groupama Team France incurring penalties for crossing the line before the gun, but the pack quickly caught up with the French team and at the bottom mark the home crowd went wild as Land Rover BAR took the lead. Ben Ainslie’s crew strode into a huge lead, and from that point they put on an America’s Cup racing masterclass, making the best use of the light winds to finally finish first, over a minute ahead of ORACLE TEAM USA, who again fought back from a poor start to finish in second. Behind them, Softbank Team Japan finished third, Groupama Team France in fourth and the two boats with new helmsmen in Portsmouth, Artemis Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand crossing the line in fifth and sixth respectively.

The third and final race of the day saw another good start for a French team who were the standout performers on the start line today. Land Rover BAR kept up their race two form, but both ORACLE TEAM USA and Softbank Team Japan again incurred startline penalties and were playing catch up from the start. The Japanese team, under the leadership of Dean Barker, made up ground impressively and were right with Groupama Team France at the halfway point of the race, battling with Land Rover BAR for second as the French inched ahead.

However, an incredible fight back from Ben Ainslie’s British boat saw them overtake the French boat at gate 3 and then they found themselves stuck into a huge battle with Softbank Team Japan as they sped towards the final leg. Finally it was another win for Land Rover BAR, an impressive second for Groupama Team France, third for Softbank Team Japan, fourth for Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing and ORACLE TEAM USA in fifth and sixth places in the final race of the day.

Selected quotes from team representatives sailing on Saturday:

Adam Minoprio, Wing Trimmer, Groupama Team France: “Tough conditions today, a lot of light patches and with the sea breezes coming around the Isle of Wight it was tricky conditions out there. However, we’re very happy with our performance today. In all the races today Franck and Thomas (Le Breton, Groupama Team France Tactician) made sure we had really good starts, they worked hard to get us right on the line and I think we were leading at the first mark in all three of the races today. It was a good day for them, wherever we were.

“The level here is world class and even though we’ve obviously made some gains, every other team is also improving. The key is to find those last few percentage gains and make sure we are putting them into action everywhere, not just on the first day of points scoring here in Portsmouth.

“The other pleasing thing about today is that we had to work hard last night on fixing the damage to the boat that we incurred yesterday. We had to lift the boat out last night to work on it and a couple of the shore team worked through the night to fix it, then we had an early start to get the boat back in the water. It was a big distraction, but maybe that’s what we need!”

Dean Barker, skipper, SoftBank Team Japan: “It felt like a bit of a tough day. We were over the line in two of the starts and from there we were battling, we really weren’t error free at any point and I think we have a lot to improve on. We still managed to salvage credible results which I think that was key - in the past we may have let this sort of form drag us down, but here we didn’t. That leaves us still in a position with all to play for tomorrow.

“It was the same for everyone though. We saw yesterday that being strong at mark one is really important here, but even with that you saw a lot of places changing position going downwind. You’d think you were in a good place, but then you could suddenly be vulnerable to other boats closing back in and in the first race we gave up a good position, which was pretty frustrating. Overall though, we gained more than we lost today so it’s not been too bad.”

Paul Campbell-James, tactician, Land Rover BAR: “It was a fantastic day for us. We struggled in the first race but bounced back and to get two bullets in the second and third races was a great result.

“It was quite tricky out there, a real day of snakes and ladders, but generally we were moving forward so we’re pleased with that. It’s an unbelievable event, the amount of people that are here, and to hear the cheers from the shore was absolutely amazing. It gives you that extra bit of pep that helps you pull those sails in a bit harder, and it’s incredible for a sailing event that we can hear support like that.

“The crowd are a big part of it, but also, being the home team, we train here six days a week and it feels like home. That’s helping us, but we also made sure that we were keeping away from other boats, which was the key today.”

Jimmy Spithill, skipper, ORACLE TEAM USA: “It was pretty tough out there, with the conditions and trying to keep clear of the other boats. I thought we sailed better than yesterday, but we still have a way to go. We’ll go back tonight, look at our mistakes and tidy it up.

“It’s difficult to make up ground but the boys kept fighting. We had a tough one in the last race, but it’s all up for grabs tomorrow when it’s double points races, maybe a bit more wind, and it will be great if we can get the boats foiling. But whatever happens we’ll be ready.”

Iain Percy, tactican, Artemis Racing: “It was a terrible day for Artemis Racing. We really didn’t sail as well as we can so we’re disappointed with our performance. We’re frustrated, but fortunately it’s double points tomorrow so it’s still all to play for. A lot of people took some painful lessons today, and we probably took more than our share.

“It is good to be racing in front of such a big crowd, but Britain is a huge sailing nation. I grew up sailing in the 80s here and it was one of the biggest sports in the country. There is just a huge sailing community here and a lot of them came out today and that is great, for all of us.”

Ray Davies, tactician, Emirates Team New Zealand: “It was tough out there, it’s a short course and we were on the big code zero sail the whole time so that puts a lot of pressure on the crew work. I think Land Rover BAR seemed to be more polished than the rest of us on that aspect of racing today and that was the main difference for them.

“One of the keys today was the need to find your own lane because the pack slows you down in these conditions. You keep rolling each other out of gybes and pulling each other back but if you can find your own space and get some clean air there are big gains to be had.”

See the highlights here: https://youtu.be/8EWSw5zt4M0

About the America’s Cup

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851, when the yacht America, after which the trophy is named, beat the best of the British fleet in a race around the Isle of Wight, U.K. The trophy won on that day was donated in trust through a Deed of Gift and has since become a symbol of immense achievement. It is perhaps the hardest trophy in sport to win. In it’s 165-year history, only four countries have managed to win the America’s Cup.

The America's Cup is currently held by the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, U.S.A.. On September 25, 2013, its team, ORACLE TEAM USA, completed the biggest comeback in sports to retain the trophy it had first won in 2010.

On December 2, 2014, Bermuda was named as the home of the 35th America’s Cup, with the iconic Great Sound as the race course area where the new America’s Cup Class boats (15-meter, foiling, wing-sailed catamarans) from each competing nation will race for the America’s Cup in May/June 2017.

The America’s Cup is honored to partner with Louis Vuitton as the title partner of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers and the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. Louis Vuitton is also the presenting partner of the 35th America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton.

The America's Cup is also proud to be supported by BMW, Bremont, ORACLE, XL Catlin, the Bermuda Tourism Authority, Gosling’s, Sperry and Sail Racing; as well as: Appleby, BF&M, Butterfield, Butterfield & Vallis, Moët & Chandon, PwC and the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club and in New York by Brookfield Place.

America’s Cup updates are also available on your mobile device. Go to the App Store to download the official America’s Cup App.

Friday at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth started in spectacular style with the world famous Red Arrows wowing the crowds across Portsmouth’s seafront with an outstanding display of aerobatic skill.

On the water, Friday is designated official practice day, with four practice races taking place and the first two contests were dominated, appropriately, by Sir Ben Ainslie and his Land Rover BAR team.

Under the watchful eye of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Ainslie raced out to two quick wins.

Light wind conditions greeted the teams as they took to the water, but the sizeable crowd was treated to exciting competition in the warm sunny weather over Portsmouth on Friday afternoon.

The first race of the day was dominated by a powerful performance from new father Sir Ben Ainslie and his Land Rover BAR team, finishing almost one minute clear of Groupama Team France and just under two minutes ahead of Softbank Team Japan. After a slow start, Jimmy Spithill’s ORACLE TEAM USA fought back to fourth, just ahead of Artemis Racing, with stand-in helmsman Francesco Bruni, making his debut with the Swedish outfit. Rounding up the pack was Emirates Team New Zealand, with new helmsman Glenn Ashby still looking to find his way, driving the Kiwi boat to sixth place.

In race two Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the start line ahead of the pack, but they were a split-second ahead of the official start time and so had to take an immediate penalty, leaving Groupama Team France, ORACLE TEAM USA and Softbank Team Japan to fight it out for first place at mark one. Good use of the wind conditions and local knowledge helped the British team overtake both the US and French crews, and at the halfway point of the race Land Rover BAR were back in front, leaving Groupama Team France and ORACLE TEAM USA to fight it out for second. Ainslie’s crew built on their lead and again finished in first, 54 seconds ahead of Spithill’s ORACLE TEAM USA in second and Franck Cammas and the French team in third, showing good consistency on day one of the regatta. Dean Barker’s Softbank Team Japan were fourth and the last two places in race two were again filled by Artemis Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand in fifth and sixth places respectively.

After a short break, race three started with Groupama Team France making it three out of three as the first team across the line, but Artemis Racing were quickly ahead and rounded mark one ahead of the pack. Bruni and the Swedish team consolidated their position in first and they and Softbank Team Japan took off into the lead, leaving Emirates Team New Zealand in third, looking stronger in race three than they had in races one and two. Softbank Team Japan picked up where they had left off in Chicago taking a win in race. Behind them, Emirates Team New Zealand were second, a good fightback from the disappointments of the first contests, and Land Rover BAR were third, demonstrating that the only thing predictable about America’s Cup racing is its unpredictability. Finally, Groupama Team France, Artemis Racing and ORACLE TEAM USA were fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, wrapping up Friday’s practice races.

The final action on the water on Friday was the Substitute Race, which may be inserted into the international broadcast if racing is delayed over the weekend, and at that point it would be scored as an official race. Until that point it is the fourth practice race of the day and was won by Emirates Team New Zealand, making up for their previous three races in aggressive style. The Japanese crew were also on a roll, battling with Land Rover BAR and holding off the home team for second place, with the Brits in third, capping off a fine Friday for the home fans.

Selected quotes from the men on the water on Friday include:

Francesco Bruni, helmsman, Artemis Racing: “Today was ok, not great but not too bad. The conditions today were very tricky, but for me it was really about learning the boat. Every second I am on the water I am learning a lot and it was important to use this practice day to find out about as many of the boat’s little tricks as I can, and while I have learnt a lot today, I hope to perform better tomorrow. We’ll take a look at the video tonight, see where we can improve, especially in the start and the maneuvers, and go through the list of things to work on and be better tomorrow. One good thing though is that the team on board is strong. They are sailing well and the only mistakes we made were small, things that are easy to fix, so that’s good.”

Paul Campbell James, tactician, Land Rover BAR: “We were really happy out there today. Ben was doing a fantastic job in the starts, giving us a good jump from there, and even though it was tricky stuff, we were making the right decisions. Importantly, when we weren’t in the lead we were moving forward, so everyone is really happy. A lot of what we do is focused on crew work, improving every time we sail, and it’s all about how well we work together. Days like today show that we are making progress and we approach a practice day like today exactly the same as tomorrow and Sunday, so the aim is to carry this through the weekend.”

Jimmy Spithill, skipper, ORACLE TEAM USA: “It was tricky today. The first two races went well but in the last one I thought we were good off the starting line, but we had a hard time accelerating. The other guys passed us on the top and underneath and then banged us around the race course a bit. Every race is different though, and days like today prove that. We have to work on some little things, especially acceleration, and we have to sharpen up a little bit because on a tight track, if you fall out the back it’s a tough climb back.”

Franck Cammas, skipper, Groupama Team France: “The day didn’t start well as we hit the mooring and had some damage on the port foil but we will pull the boat out tonight and fix it. In the races, the first three starts we were good but on the last start we were looking for an opening but it never opened up so we were right at the back. It happens sometimes and you just have to fight back. We have made a few adjustments here, in particular with the communication on board as we trying Adam Minoprio as wing trimmer here. That’s a bit of a challenge but I think it’s a good move for us, even if we have to switch to speaking English!!”

Ray Davies, tactician, Emirates Team New Zealand: “It took us all a few races to find our feet today. We really needed today to iron out our crew work as every race we felt like we were tacking and gybing better even though we weren’t getting results, but it was great to win the last one. However, we have to do a big debrief tonight as there is still a lot of room to improve and we have a lot of work to do. It’s a tough fleet and we’re really looking forward to the racing on the weekend, but we still have a long way to go.”

Dean Barker, CEO and skipper, Softbank Team Japan: “It’s been a useful day, especially as this is a challenging venue. The currents can be strong and you have to read the course. It keeps you on your toes, but we definitely feel a lot better than we did a year ago when this was our first event. Even though the light winds made it tricky for everyone, we’re not too opposed to any conditions and it’s all good practice, whatever you’re sailing in. Having said that, fingers crossed we’ll have enough wind to get some exciting racing in for the rest of the weekend – we’ll see.”

ORACLE TEAM USA stepped back on the podium after finishing second overall at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman on Sunday. Skipper Jimmy Spithill and crew bounced back from a slow start to hold on to second at the event, and the team remains second in the overall series standings.

“It’s great to be on the podium again,” Spithill said. “Ourselves and Emirates Team New Zealand are the only teams that have podiumed at every event. We’re closer to Team New Zealand in the overall, still holding second, and it was just a fantastic event in the Middle East.

“We bounced back well after the first race,” Spithill continued. “That was obviously not the best way to start the day. But, I feel like we took another step forward in performance today.”

ORACLE TEAM USA started the day in second place behind Land Rover BAR after Saturday's three races.

In the first of three double-point races on Super Sunday, they found themselves at the back of the fleet after being forced to dip behind Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France at the third gate. On the last leg, they moved up one spot to finish fifth, while Emirates Team New Zealand took the win.

Race 5 was won off the start for ORACLE TEAM USA, as they took an early lead they never relinquished. “It’s all about trying to get a clean break off the line,” said Spithill after the win. “Once you do, it’s a much nicer race.”

For the sixth and final race of the regatta, ORACLE TEAM USA finished second after Groupama edged ahead on the third of four legs in the race.

“Sailing in light air is all about finesse and making adjustments,” said wing trimmer Kyle Langford. “Our team historically has been good at getting the boat around the course in the stronger breezes. We’re not so refined in the lighter air. So, we really focused on our trimming, making sure we were accurate, and also on smoother body movements on the boat.

“We made some big steps and we feel more confident in our boat speed and handling in light air, so it was a big step forward for us,” Langford said.

ORACLE TEAM USA closed out the weekend in Oman with 74 total points, two points behind winner Land Rover BAR (76). Emirates Team New Zealand was third with 70 points. Find complete results HERE.

After three events in 2015 and this first event of the new year, the team remains in second in the overall Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series standings with 186 points. Emirates Team New Zealand continues to hold the top slot with 192 points.

“It’s a bit of a whirlwind to come here for four days and go straight into racing,” Langford said. “Now, we’ll go back to Bermuda and right into the development program. It can be hard to shift focus from racing to development, but we’ll think about racing again in the lead-up to New York.

ORACLE TEAM USA returns to Bermuda tomorrow to resume their development program and two-boat testing. For the next event on the race schedule, they will head to the U.S. for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series New York, running May 7-8.

Ben Ainslie, the most decorated Olympic sailor in history, led his Land Rover BAR team to victory at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Oman this weekend.

Ainslie beat his former skipper, Jimmy Spithill and ORACLE TEAM USA, by two points, with the winning margin secured on a late charge in the final race.

Ainslie says winning the event in Oman was an important measuring stick for the team, which hadn’t won since securing victory on home waters in Portsmouth last summer.

“We kept fighting through today,” he said. “Compared to the teams with established track records, we need to prove we can compete at the top of the fleet and I think we are getting back to doing that. We have a big team of designers, boat builders and support staff back at home working very hard for us and they want to know that we can win this thing.”

For ORACLE TEAM USA the second place result was a fourth consecutive podium finish in a Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series regatta. But for all that, the team has yet to win.

“We’ve made some good steps forward, but we need to get going,” Spithill said after racing. “It’s good to be on the podium. We’re one of only two teams to have been on the podium at each event. But we want to win. There’s no two ways about it.”

With a third place result in Oman, Emirates Team New Zealand retains its place atop the overall Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series leaderboard, but ORACLE TEAM USA, in second place, has closed the gap to just 6 points.

“The last race was a little bit disappointing for us,” said skipper Glenn Ashby, referring to a fifth place finish. “But to come away from any event still holding the overall lead is a good thing. At the end of the day that’s what counts.”

Ashby is right. The leader at the conclusion of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series will carry two bonus points forward into the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers in May 2017 in Bermuda. The second place team earns one bonus point.

A popular result on Sunday came from Groupama Team France, who finished strongly with a second place finish followed by a victory. With Adam Minoprio replacing the injured Franck Cammas on the helm this weekend, the team converted two strong start line performances into top finishes.

“We were pretty stoked on board. You could see the excitement on the guys faces,” Minoprio said. “We didn’t have the strongest start to the regatta but we’re happy to have been improving through the weekend and finishing with a win.”

Both SoftBank Team Japan and Artemis Racing continued to show moments of promised but fell back in the fleet over the course of the day; bad breaks combined with poor decisions or handling errors to put the pair at the bottom of the table.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman marked the first America’s Cup sailing in the Middle East and was a milestone event for the host, Oman Sail.

“This was a fantastic weekend for us,” said David Graham, the CEO of Oman Sail. “Promoting Oman through the America’s Cup broadcast was a fantastic opportunity for us.

“It was also tremendous to see the integration of our youth sailing programs with AC Endeavour. And I think perhaps most significant for me was how the Omanis on our team led the charge and delivered a fantastic event.

“The feedback from our guests, our partners, and all of the visitors who came to enjoy the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman has been extremely positive. Let’s do it again!”

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851, when the yacht America, after which the trophy is named, beat the best of the British fleet in a race around the Isle of Wight, U.K. The trophy won on that day was donated in trust through a Deed of Gift and has since become a symbol of immense achievement. It is perhaps the hardest trophy in sport to win. In it’s 165-year history, only four countries have managed to win the America’s Cup.

The America's Cup is currently held by the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, U.S.A.. On September 25, 2013, its team, ORACLE TEAM USA, completed the biggest comeback in sports to retain the trophy it had first won in 2010.

On December 2, 2014, Bermuda was named as the home of the 35th America’s Cup, with the iconic Great Sound as the race course area where the new America’s Cup Class boats (15-meter, foiling, wing-sailed catamarans) from each competing nation will race for the America’s Cup in May/June 2017.

The America’s Cup is honored to partner with Louis Vuitton as the title partner of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers and the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. Louis Vuitton is also the presenting partner of the 35th America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton.

ORACLE TEAM USA recorded two second place finishes and a fifth in the first three races of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman on Saturday. With 8 knot winds throughout the day on the Sea of Oman, sailing under light conditions offered a new challenge for the six-team fleet, and ORACLE TEAM USA focused on learning how to get the most out of the boat.

“It was really tough conditions, but this is something we’ve been wanting to work on for a long time. I think it’s actually great for us,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill. “Tom did a great job today with the wind – it was hard to see. The boys also did great with the maneuvers. We’re still learning how to get more speed out of the boat. I thought we took a good step in the last race today.”

In the first of three races on Saturday, ORACLE TEAM USA maintained a solid second position throughout the race, crossing the line 0:31 seconds behind winner Emirates Team New Zealand. A slow start in Race 2 plagued Spithill and crew. The team was unable to make up ground and finished fifth after a penalty to Artemis Racing, while Land Rover BAR took the win.

For the third race, the team continued to make adjustments and rallied back for another second-place finish as Land Rover BAR crossed the line 1:05 in front.

“We’re still learning how to best sail in this light wind and it’s very much about finesse and really playing the different modes. We were making adjustments all through the day,” said trimmer Kinley Fowler. “We had a pretty horrible middle race, and we learned a lot from that, then I think we had some good transitions in the final race, which is always good – transitions are hard in these conditions. So, it was great that we were able to keep our second place position.”

ORACLE TEAM USA collected 24 points on Saturday for second place overall in Oman. Land Rover BAR is on top with 28.

With Super Sunday racing on tap tomorrow, the leaderboard could look different after the weekend’s racing wraps up. Three races on Sunday each count for double points.

“For us, it was all about trying to learn as much as we could today, really capitalize on it and take that into tomorrow,” Spithill said. “Three races tomorrow, double points, it’s all on tomorrow. As we’ve seen at every event, it’s going to come down to the last race.”

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman marks the first time America’s Cup racing has come to the Middle East and kicks off the 2016 season. Racing begins at 14:00 local on Sunday, with three races scheduled. The race course runs along the Al Mouj Golf Course in Muscat, along 2.5 km of unspoiled Arabian coastline.

Ben Ainslie and Jimmy Spithill had big recoveries on Saturday to vault to the top of the leaderboard at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Oman.

Ainslie and his team were the class of the field. After incurring a penalty for starting prematurely in the first race, he sailed back up the fleet to salvage a third place finish.

Then, two victories. And Land Rover BAR finished the day four points clear. But Ainslie said it was anything but easy in the light winds.

“These conditions make it very challenging for everyone on board,” he said. “You need a decent start and to go the right way, so it’s tough on the tacticians. And then the big Code Zero headsails make for hard work for everyone else. It’s a big day for the team.”

ORACLE TEAM USA appeared to be in jeopardy at several points during the afternoon. But when the points were tallied, Spithill had his team in second place.

“Racing in these conditions is something we know we have to work on, so this has been great for us,” Spithill said. “I thought Tom Slingsby did a great job finding the wind. I think the boys took a step in the last race on our boat speed. There’s still a lot to learn in the light stuff. We want to get better in these conditions. We’re improving each race.”

Emirates Team New Zealand sped away to a ‘horizon job’ victory in the first race, but fell back into the fleet later in the afternoon. For skipper Glenn Ashby it simply felt good to be out competing again.

“Great racing out there today,” he said. “It’s been so long since we all battled it out. It felt good. We had a great first race, but unfortunately we got bounced around a bit in the last one.”

SoftBank Team Japan skipper Dean Barker found himself in familiar territory. His team flashed some brilliance, but couldn’t hold on through a full race for a strong finish.

“I’m happy with the improvements we’re making,” he said. “We can see that we’re getting better. The last one was frustrating. It was looking so good for a while. But one mistake can be so costly. We’re just making little errors and in this fleet you get punished for it.”

Artemis Racing tactician Iain Percy had to take solace from the good moments as the team didn’t get any breaks, ending the day equal points at the bottom of the table with Groupama Team France.

“I’m really happy with the way we sailed and our speed, we just didn’t get the normal clean starts we needed,” he said. “We were going fast and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. If we get our start, it will be hard to catch us.”

Adam Minoprio, sailing in his first Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event on the helm of Groupama Team France said he needs to get better starts to earn better results at the finish.

“The startline line was pretty short so there wasn’t a lot of room,” he said. “I don’t think I was aggressive enough. But the team kept it together and we managed to claw back points around the race course. I need to fight for my spot. The other guys have been doing these reaching starts for a year already, so I need to learn fast.”

Fortunately for Minoprio and the others chasing Ainslie, the regatta format offers a chance at salvation. Super Sunday racing has double scoring points on offer in all three races scheduled. So the leaderboard may look very different in 24 hours.

Saturday marked the first America’s Cup racing in the Middle East. With the support of Oman Sail, which runs a youth sailing program similar to AC Endeavour, 30 talented young Omani sailors participated in a parade of sail ahead of today’s racing.

The national initiative is dedicated to inspiring young Omanis to take up sailing, and is central to Oman Sail's mission of reigniting the country's rich maritime heritage.

Since its launch in 2008 Oman Sail has introduced the sport of sailing to more than 20,000 Omanis through its programs.

On Saturday, 30 of its most talented junior sailors took to the same waters that play host to the first Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series event of 2016 to show off just how good they are.

“I'm incredibly impressed with what Oman Sail and its partner Omantel have achieved – it's wonderful to see,” said Russell Coutts, the CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority.

“I had the chance to see these junior sailors racing this morning and I've got to say I was very impressed with the way they sailed and the skills they put on display.

“It's my hope that we will see one of these young sailors go forward and win an Olympic gold medal and perhaps one day be at the helm or crewing an America's Cup boat. I think that would be fantastic.”

David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, added: “The Oman Sail Youth Program is at the heart of what we do at Oman Sail. It was wonderful to see these children out on the water racing today. This has all happened because of Omantel and their continued investment in youth sailing.”

The six America’s Cup teams took to the water in Oman on Friday for official practice racing, the first competition the fleet has seen since racing in Bermuda in October.

At the morning press conference, team skippers all expressed an eagerness to get back on the race course after a winter of technical development towards the America’s Cup Class boats that will launch and race in 2017.

Shifting back into race mode following months of development and testing is something the sailors are uniformly enthusiastic about.

“As a team, we’re very excited to be here in Oman,” said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “We’ve had a great winter in Bermuda where we’ve been working very, very hard on our technical program. But we always look forward to getting out and racing. That’s what we love to do.”

Conditions were light for Friday’s practice, with winds in the 4-7 knot range. The forecast is for 7-10 knots over the weekend.

“It’s going to be fairly light over the next couple of days, but we’re all just excited to be getting racing again,” said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby. “Getting clear on the start line is going to be key and that will be a focus all weekend.”

Artemis Racing found the most success on Friday, winning both fleet races and taking one of two match races. Earlier, Iain Percy spoke about how the team is on an upswing following the win in Bermuda.

“Certainly to end on a high going into the winter was important,” he said. “It’s motivating for everyone, especially after you’ve had a couple of mishaps like we did in the first two events.”

Ben Ainslie, skipper of Land Rover BAR, said he enjoys racing here, and anticipates the challenge posed by lighter winds.

“We’ve had a little bit of experience racing here. It’s generally lighter winds, which presents a different challenge. Our guys are up for it and looking forward to getting racing again. That’s what we want to do as competitors.”

“It’s the third time I’ve been here and last time the racing was in the same place as where we’ll be this weekend. It was certainly a difficult race course then, but also rewarding if you sailed well. It will be a good challenge,” agreed Dean Barker, skipper of SoftBank Team Japan.

Franck Cammas, the skipper of Groupama Team France, was on a chase boat today, still recovering from a foot injury he suffered in training before Christmas. He could be seen congratulating replacement helmsman Adam Minoprio after a match race victory.

“I’m happy with the recovery. I’m not ready to race, but I’m hoping to get on a boat next week for the first time. This is the goal,” Cammas said. “Adam is a good addition to the team. He has worked with Luna Rossa in the past and has done a lot of sailing in the AC45, so I’m happy to have him with us, and we hope to see him do well.”

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman would not have been possible without the support and organization of Oman Sail.

Ghada Al-Said, the Director of Communication at Oman Sail, says hosting an America’s Cup event is a momentous occasion.

“This weekend marks the start of an historic moment for the Sultanate of Oman,” she said.

“Oman Sail has been tasked with creating a generation of sailors, through an active equal opportunity youth program; reigniting Oman’s maritime heritage; and raising awareness of the country as a high end tourism destination. Since 2008, we have endeavored to transform the Sultanate of Oman into a prominent sailing nation and make sailing a part of the country’s future. This is a milestone on that journey.”

Racing starts at 1400 local time (GMT+4) each day. Three races are scheduled each day.

Catch the best sailors in the world racing at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman

This is your tune-in guide to live racing and highlight coverage of the first Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series races in 2016, from Muscat, Oman.

Racing takes place on February 27-28, beginning at 14:00 local time in Oman (GMT+4) and our coverage via broadcast television, online and mobile devices will bring the thrill of America’s Cup racing to over 140 territories around the world.

Emirates Team New Zealand is on top of the leaderboard after three events in 2015, guided by the steady hand of world sailor of the year, Peter Burling, on the helm.

The defending champion, ORACLE TEAM USA, is in second place, which doesn’t sit well with skipper Jimmy Spithill, who is still lamenting lost opportunities in the racing last year.

“The mistakes stay with you because you don’t want to make them again,” he says. “All of us are so competitive, we want to start the year strong. This is an important one.”

In the UK and Ireland, both days of racing will air live on BT Sport: Saturday’s racing is live beginning at 0930 on BT Sport 2; Sunday’s racing is live on BT Sport 1 beginning at 0930. Both BT1 and BT2 Sport will run replays of racing throughout the weekend and week (check local listings).

In New Zealand, the racing will be live on new broadcast partner SKYNZ. Both days are live at 11:00pm on SKY Sport Pop-up Channel 055.

In France, racing is live on Canal+ Sport on both Saturday and Sunday.

In Australia, both days of racing will be live on Fox Sports 5 at 21:00.

In Sweden, racing is live on TV4 Play.

In China, racing is on CCTV5+: February 28 at 23:55 and February 29 at 23:00 (Beijing time)

In Bermuda, racing is live on ZFB and via AC+ on the America's Cup App.

In the United States, racing is live via AC+ on the America’s Cup App and the one-hour highlight program will air on NBCSN on March 12 at 6:00pm EST.

Local fans in 28 territories in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the racing live and in highlight programming on the Orbit Sports Network.

New Zealand America’s Cup fans can watch LIVE coverage of every race of the 35th America’s Cup on SKY, which has acquired exclusive rights to the event, beginning with Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman at the end of this month.

“SKY New Zealand becomes a powerful partner for the America’s Cup with this agreement,” said Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the 35th America’s Cup.

“We know how enthusiastic the fan base is in New Zealand. The Kiwi team has been a finalist in five of the last six America’s Cups and is currently leading the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series after the first three events,” Schiller continued.

“Peter Burling, the current World Sailor of the year, and inaugural winner of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, has brought youthful, new energy in steering the team to the top of the leaderboard so there is a lot of excitement as we head into the 2016 events.”

SKY’s Director of Sport Richard Last said: "The last America’s Cup had the entire country watching as Emirates Team New Zealand came within a race of bringing the Cup back to New Zealand.

“We are proud to be the exclusive broadcast partner for this edition of the America’s Cup, as we follow Emirates Team New Zealand through the qualifying events towards the finals in Bermuda in June 2017.”

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series continues with the first event of 2016 on February 27-28 from Muscat, Oman. The LIVE action will screen on SKY Sport and be supplemented with replays and highlights.

SKY Sport will continue its coverage across this year’s Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events in New York (May 7-8), Chicago (June 11-12), Portsmouth, UK (July 23-24), and Toulon, France (September 10-11).

In May and June of 2017, the action shifts to Bermuda for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers and Challenger Playoffs as well as the America's Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton, where the top challenger will take on defending champion, ORACLE TEAM USA.

Live coverage of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series first event of 2016 from Muscat, Oman on SKY Sport:

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851, when the yacht America, after which the trophy is named, beat the best of the British fleet in a race around the Isle of Wight, U.K. The trophy won on that day was donated in trust through a Deed of Gift and has since become a symbol of immense achievement. It is perhaps the hardest trophy in sport to win. In it’s 165-year history, only four countries have managed to win the America’s Cup.

The America's Cup is currently held by the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, U.S.A.. On September 25, 2013, its team, ORACLE TEAM USA, completed the biggest comeback in sports to retain the trophy it had first won in 2010.

On December 2, 2014, Bermuda was named as the home of the 35th America’s Cup, with the iconic Great Sound as the race course area where the new America’s Cup Class boats (15-meter, foiling, wing-sailed catamarans) from each competing nation will race for the America’s Cup in May/June 2017.

The America’s Cup is honored to partner with Louis Vuitton as the title partner of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers and the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. Louis Vuitton is also the presenting partner of the 35th America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton.

The defending champion of the America’s Cup, ORACLE TEAM USA, will face the top challenging team in race one of the America’s Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton in 500 days, on Saturday, June 17, 2017.

Racing will take place on Bermuda’s Great Sound, a natural amphitheater that offers up varied, challenging, racing conditions.

As the clock ticks towards racing in 2017, the America’s Cup teams are accelerating their preparations.

“In some ways, 500 days sounds like a long time, but think it’s going to come up very quickly now,” said Jimmy Spithill, the skipper of ORACLE TEAM USA.

“Time is the one thing you can’t get back in an America’s Cup campaign. It’s the most valuable resource we have. Between now and race one we have to design and build a boat to a new rule, learn how to sail it faster than the other teams, and make sure that as a race crew, we’re match ready.

“And from our team base here in Bermuda we see signs of the time passing every day as more teams arrive, new bases go up and the Event Village starts to take shape right in front of our dock.

“We know we have a lot of work ahead, but we’re excited to get stuck in to it. We’re all looking forward to next June. There’s nothing like the first race of the America’s Cup, when you line up against the other team and it’s all on the line. That’s what we do this for.”

All six America’s Cup teams will race in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers – a double round robin event – beginning on Friday May 26. The winning team in the Qualifiers can carry a bonus point through to the America’s Cup Finals, making this an important stage of the event for defender and challengers alike.

The top four challengers from the Qualifiers advance to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Playoffs, with one team eliminated from further competition. The playoffs feature four teams paired up in a Semi Final, advancing to a Final, with one eventual winner advancing to face ORACLE TEAM USA in the America’s Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton.

Off the water, the hub of the America’s Cup will be the Event Village at Royal Naval Dockyard, at the west end of Bermuda. The purpose-built Event Village has all of the team bases and public areas, including race day “Dock Out” shows and interactions with the teams and sailors, family entertainment, food courts, race viewing areas, hospitality, and much more.

Already, ORACLE TEAM USA and SoftBank Team Japan are based at Dockyard, with other teams joining over the course of the next year as the Event Village is progressed.

In parallel to their preparations for racing in 2017, the teams are focused on racing in this year’s Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. Six events are scheduled for 2016 as below:

After the first three events in 2015, Emirates Team New Zealand, led by skipper Glenn Ashby and ace helmsman Peter Burling, is atop the leaderboard. Spithill’s ORACLE TEAM USA sits in second place, while Ben Ainslie holds down the third podium spot with Land Rover BAR.

The top teams at the conclusion of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series carry bonus points forward to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers in May 2016.

Looking forward, the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) and America’s Cup Bermuda (ACBDA) continue to work together on progressing the Event Village in Dockyard. With three teams (Artemis Racing, ORACLE TEAM USA and SoftBank Team Japan) now operating full-time from Bermuda, the presence of the America’s Cup on the island continues to build as the countdown to 2017 is on.

Bermuda, Wednesday, January 13, 2016. True Protein, maker of all-natural supplements, has signed on as a preferred supplier for ORACLE TEAM USA, defending champions of the America’s Cup. True Protein will provide protein and nutritional supplements to fuel the team as they train for sailing’s greatest challenge – defending the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017.

“To win the America’s Cup, ORACLE TEAM USA sailors need to be at their best,” said Ben Kierath, co-founder of True Protein. “By supplementing with True Protein products throughout their preparation, the team will be at their peak, giving them the best chance of holding onto the trophy.

“Too often, sports nutrition supplements are filled with unnecessary fillers and additives that just bulk out the powder and do nothing to boost performance,” added Kierath. “The modern athlete can only succeed when their diet complements their training, so they pay particular attention to consuming high quality, pure ingredients that help them achieve their training goals.”

True Protein is a relatively new company based in Sydney, Australia, and has rapidly become a market leader in premium-grade sports nutrition supplements. They provide complete transparency for products created from the highest quality ingredients, using natural organic stevia sweetening and all-natural flavorings.

For ORACLE TEAM USA, True Protein is an ideal partner. The team’s heavy training schedule demands a nutrient-dense diet, and maintaining the calorie intake while optimizing energy, recovery and muscle growth can be a challenge.

“The sailors are burning 3,500-5,000 calories per day between on-water training and gym sessions,” said Scott Tindal, ORACLE TEAM USA head physiotherapist and team nutritionist. “By complementing a carefully planned wholefood diet with True Protein supplements, the team is able to hit their macro nutrient goals on a daily basis.

“True Protein is focused on developing innovative, natural products for athletes. Their wide selection of quality, science-based and effective supplements is perfect for the team,” said Tindal.

France will host the fifth Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event of 2016 in September when racing comes to the Mediterranean city of Toulon.

Located between Marseille and St Tropez, Toulon will host the best sailors in the world, racing foiling, wing-sailed catamarans, on September 10-11, 2016.

“Toulon will be the third European city to host the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, and is the only stop on the Mediterranean,” confirmed Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America’s Cup.

“We are expecting a passionate reception for Franck Cammas and Groupama Team France, and indeed all the competitors, as the series builds towards the 2017 America's Cup racing in Bermuda.”

“It is tremendous to have a chance to demonstrate to French fans what this new America’s Cup racing is all about,” said Franck Cammas, the skipper of Groupama Team France.

“French sailors and fans are passionate about multihulls and speed, and it is only recently, with the shift to foiling catamarans, that the America’s Cup has reflected this excitement. We can’t wait to bring the racing to Toulon and to compete in front of a home crowd.”

Hubert Falco, the Mayor of Toulon and president of 'Toulon Provence Méditerranée' said: “The Greater Toulon council is very proud to host the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. This will give global exposure to our port and harbor, which is among the most beautiful in Europe as well as allowing us to demonstrate our ability to organize and accommodate such an important event.”

“It is going to be fantastic to hold one of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events here in France,” said Bruno Dubois, the general manager of Groupama Team France. “We will be able to share with the public, our partners and the media a new dimension of our project. This follows the excitement generated earlier this month at the Paris Boat Show where our AC45 boat was on display. Now everyone can come and see it in action, flying over the bay of Toulon.”

Building on the opening three events in 2015, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series calendar for 2016 is now nearly complete:

February 27-28 in Muscat, OmanMay 7-8 in New York, USAJune 11-12 in Chicago, USAJuly 23-24 in Portsmouth, EnglandSeptember 10-11 in Toulon, France

Two additional events are expected: one in Asia in November 2016; and all six competitors have now unanimously agreed to add an additional Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series regatta in the first quarter of 2017.

Teams collect points in each Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series regatta. The top two teams at the conclusion of the series earn bonus points for the next stage of the competition, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers, in May 2017.

In June 2017, the 35th America’s Cup will be raced in Bermuda.

Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series standings (after three events):

America’s Cup racing will return to New York for the first time since 1920 with Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series racing on May 7-8, 2016.

The New York event is one of six events planned during 2016, each featuring thrilling, high-speed competition, as six America’s Cup teams, with the top sailors in the world, vie for points that count towards the final competition for the 35th America’s Cup in 2017.

This year, Emirates Team New Zealand’s star helmsman, Peter Burling, the youngest in the fleet, led his team to the top of the standings over current America’s Cup champion Jimmy Spithill’s ORACLE TEAM USA, and the highly touted Land Rover BAR team led by Olympic hero Ben Ainslie.

But the competition was close. In fact, the opening three Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events in 2015 featured three different event winners, and four different individual race winners. The 2016 calendar promises more hard-fought racing on the foiling AC45F catamarans that fly above the water.

“Everyone is going to want to start the New Year off well,” said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “But all the other teams have been out training with the same goal in mind, so nothing will come easy this year.

“The New York event is going to be spectacular. Racing on the lower Hudson River, in front of that Manhattan skyline, will be a huge hit. New Yorkers are massive sports fans and I think this will be something very special: thrilling, top-level racing right in the heart of the city. It’s going to be a great event for the America’s Cup and a great event for New York.”

Practice racing in New York is on May 6, with point-scoring races on the weekend of May 7-8.

Two additional Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events are anticipated to complete the calendar, likely in Europe in mid-September and in Asia in mid-November.

“With six events around the world in 2016 our fans will have more opportunities to enjoy America’s Cup racing and follow their favorite teams and sailors as we build towards the finals in Bermuda in 2017,” said Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America’s Cup.

“We’re excited to be able to add the new venues of Oman, New York and Chicago to the calendar, giving more fans a chance to experience the America’s Cup in person.”

The New York event is an historic milestone of sorts. America’s Cup racing was held in New York harbor and environs for 50 years, representing the first 13 challenges for the oldest trophy in international sport.

From 1870 through 1920 racing took place off New York. Beginning in 1930, the competition was moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where it remained until the United States finally lost the Cup in 1983, ending the longest winning streak in sport.

Since that time, racing for the America’s Cup has taken place in Perth (Australia); San Diego (USA); Auckland (New Zealand); Valencia (Spain); and San Francisco (USA).

In May/June 2017, the next America’s Cup will be raced for in Bermuda.

Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series standings (after three events):

This event will take place from May 6-8, 2016, with official practice racing on the Friday and point-scoring races on Saturday and Sunday.

The Event Village will be in the Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza, while the racing will be on the lower Hudson River off the Battery Park City Esplanade (between the Pier 25 basin to the north and The Battery to the south).

The technical areas for teams, race management and America’s Cup TV production will be based at Liberty State Park and Liberty Landing Marina, across the Hudson River in New Jersey.

The Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series . Muscat. Oman. The formal press conference to announce The Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series coming to Oman on 27th - 28th February 2016.Image licensed to Lloyd Images

The Sultanate of Oman will create a rare slice of sporting history when it becomes the first country in the Middle East to host America’s Cup racing by staging the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman in February 2016.

A point-scoring event for the opening stages of the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman will take place in Muscat from 27-28 February, as the curtain raiser to the 2016 season, which will be spread over six different venues around the world.

For many of the America’s Cup sailors, including Sir Ben Ainslie (Land Rover BAR), Dean Barker (SoftBank Team Japan) and Franck Cammas (Groupama Team France), the waters off the Sultanate of Oman will be familiar territory, since Muscat has been hosting high performance multihull racing every year since 2011.

Near perfect sailing conditions that consistently deliver a 10-15 knot breeze combined with a sunny climate and warm waters have made Oman a popular destination for many Olympic Classes that have chosen to stage their World Championships at a time of year when the weather in Europe and North America limits training opportunities.

The driving force behind the Sultanate’s sailing activity has been Oman Sail, which was established in 2008 to create a generation of sailors and raise the Sultanate’s profile as a high end tourism destination using its centuries old traditions with the sea as a platform to promote its sporting, cultural and economic potential.

From grassroots sailing, introducing many thousands of girls and boys to the sport through its sailing schools and community programmes, through to elite participation, setting world records on its flagship MOD70 and winning two Extreme Sailing Series championships, Oman Sail has repeatedly broken new ground in its programmes both on and off the water, culminating in this exciting new development at the highest level of the sport, the America’s Cup.

“We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman here in Muscat for the first time and we are very proud and excited to welcome the America’s Cup community and its massive following to the Sultanate,” said Salim Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion for the Ministry of Tourism.

The 2015 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events in Portsmouth (UK), Gothenburg (Sweden) and Bermuda, with teams entered from the UK, USA, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan and France, attracted enormous crowds at the venues with live action followed on television by tens of millions around the world.

Oman Sail CEO David Graham believes that the wide reach of the America’s Cup will create new opportunities for the Sultanate and increase the country’s exposure around the globe.

“The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of sailboat racing with a long and interesting history and we are thrilled to be hosting the first Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event in 2016 here in Oman.

“Oman Sail has worked hard since 2008 to reconnect the people of Oman with their sailing roots and to create a generation of sailors. We have a very successful youth, women, national and international sailing programme and are actively generating socio-economic benefits for the country and contributing to the development of the Omani people through sailing. Hosting a Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event will provide huge inspiration to our sailors and take us closer to our aims.

“The America’s Cup brand is incredibly powerful so this will be a monumental opportunity for us to showcase the Sultanate of Oman and to celebrate a landmark moment in the history of Oman Sail.”

The America’s Cup trophy took centre stage at the press event hosted by The Chedi, Muscat and attended by David Graham, Oman Sail CEO, Salim Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion for the Ministry of Tourism, and Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO of Oman Air.

Also present for the announcement, Harvey Schiller, America’s Cup Commercial Commissioner, said: “Oman is an ideal place for us to open the 2016 racing calendar. It’s exciting to be bringing America’s Cup racing to this part of the world for the first time. We all look forward to adding to the success of Oman Sail with this historic event.”

In February, spectators in Muscat are in for a real treat as the foiling AC45 yachts, capable of breath taking speeds, fly across the water in front of the fans.

And with points counting towards the America’s Cup Qualifiers in 2017, the Oman event will give fans their first opportunity of 2016 to see all the runners and riders seeking to gain an early advantage.

Sunday’s racing in Bermuda will have more points on offer than any other day in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series to date.

After racing was abandoned on Saturday due to extremely light winds, a third race has been added to the schedule on Sunday. All three races will have double-point scoring, meaning up to 60 points are available. Racing is scheduled to start at 14:10 ADT.

“Three 20-point races can be pretty powerful in the grand scheme of things in the series,” said SoftBank Team Japan tactician Chris Draper. “If you can smash the final day it will make a massive difference on the leaderboard.”

Weather models show the light conditions of Saturday giving way to 8-12 knots of wind on Sunday, building stronger later in the day. On Saturday, the wind never breached the 6-knot lower limit to allow racing.

“We’re looking forward to tomorrow, the forecast looks very positive for racing,” said ORACLE TEAM USA tactician Tom Slingsby. “I think it will be perfect sailing conditions for these boats. It’s all to play for and we’ll be looking to come out on top.”

After racing was abandoned, an exhibition race took place inside the Harbour. The sailors were unanimous in paying tribute to the enthusiasm of the Bermudian crowd and the ability of the course marshals and race management team. Hundreds of boats relocated from the Great Sound race course area to the Harbour in short order, without incident, allowing for an exhibition race.

“We came over from Dockyard at about 12:15 in the chase boat and we couldn’t believe how many boats were out there,” Draper said. “It’s a shame we didn’t get a point-scoring race. But we had a little exhibition in Hamilton Harbour at the end there so hopefully that gives everyone a little taster ahead of tomorrow.”

“It’s amazing. The island has gotten behind the America’s Cup and it’s great to see,” said Land Rover BAR sailor Giles Scott. “It felt like there were thousands of boats out there. It was quite the spectacle today. I’m sure tomorrow will be even better.”

“It was great to see all these people on the water. We stayed in the harbor and we didn’t see all the boats, but when we finally went out to race this huge spectator fleet came in – very impressive. Now we have to do a good show for them tomorrow!”

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is bringing America’s Cup racing to Bermuda for the first time since the mid-Atlantic island became the host venue of the 35th America’s Cup.

The defending champion, ORACLE TEAM USA, selected Bermuda as the venue in December of 2014 and moved its team base here in the spring. This event marks the first official racing featuring all six teams in the America’s Cup.

ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill calls the support from Bermudians for the event and all the teams “unbelievable” and says he’s looking forward to repaying that sentiment.

“Bermuda has been so open and welcoming to all of the teams,” he said at the opening press conference on Friday morning. “Very, very hospitable and friendly people, and so we would love to reward them with great racing.”

ORACLE TEAM USA comes into the event in third place with 64 points, trailing Land Rover BAR (65 points) and the series leader, Emirates Team New Zealand, on 72 points.

“There’s a saying it’s better to be lucky than good and we’ve been fortunate to have a couple of nice regattas,” said the skipper of the Kiwi team, Glenn Ashby.

“We haven’t sailed together as a team since Gothenburg so yesterday’s training session we important for us. The conditions on the Great Sound were perfect and we utilized it to full advantage to practice getting the boat around the course as best we can. We’ve seen any team here can win any race, so we’re looking forward to getting out and racing.”

Further down the standings, Softbank Team Japan leads Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France. Each of these teams is looking for a ‘comeback’ performance in Bermuda.

“We’ve had a couple of shockers,” admitted Artemis Racing skipper Nathan Outteridge. “We’ve been sailing well at times, but we haven’t been able to string it together. In Portsmouth and Gothenburg we made some big errors and if we can avoid them this week, we’ll be in much better shape.”

Racing is scheduled to begin at 14:10 local time on Saturday and Sunday. The forecast is for light conditions on Saturday and moderate winds on Sunday.

“It’s an awesome racetrack and Sunday looks like it could be great,” Spithill said. “If the wind gets up, Bermudians will see sailing like they’ve never witnessed before. Hopefully we get some great racing out there.”

"It's great to be here and see so much support for the event," agreed Land Rover BAR skipper Ben Ainslie.

Two practice races were sailed today in light conditions.

Over 1000 boats have already registered as spectator craft to watch the racing on the Great Sound. Spectator boat tickets – available at www.islandtourcentre.com are nearing a sell-out.

To watch the racing in your area, check the ‘where to watch’ guide here.

Download the official app and register for the premium AC+ service to watch the racing live (territorial restrictions apply). Bermudians can get a promo code from the Event Village for free access to AC+.

Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Leaderboard after two events:

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851, when the yacht America, after which the trophy is named, beat the best of the British fleet in a race around the Isle of Wight, U.K. The trophy won on that day was donated in trust through a Deed of Gift and has since become a symbol of immense achievement. It is perhaps the hardest trophy in sport to win. In it’s 165-year history, only four countries have managed to win the America’s Cup.

The America's Cup is currently held by the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, U.S.A.. On September 25, 2013, its team, ORACLE TEAM USA, completed the biggest comeback in sports to retain the trophy it had first won in 2010.

On December 2, 2014, Bermuda was named as the home of the 35th America’s Cup, with the iconic Great Sound as the race course area where the new America’s Cup Class boats (15-meter, foiling, wing-sailed catamarans) from each competing nation will race for the America’s Cup in May/June 2017.

ORACLE TEAM USA won both races on opening day at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Gothenburg.

But Land Rover BAR and Emirates Team New Zealand had good days as well with second and third place finishes respectively.

In fact both races saw the same teams in the same top three positions, meaning there isn’t much separation on the leaderboard.

“This was almost like a warm-up," said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. "It's all about tomorrow when the points are doubled - Super Sunday. But that being said, I'd rather be in our position. We're sailing well, we're confident, and we'll be ready to go."

His closest pursuer said quick starts allowed the winner to separate from the herd in both races and that was the difference.

“ORACLE really sailed well, had great starts and it fell into place for them,” said Land Rover BAR skipper Ben Ainslie. “We kind of had to fight a little bit but I was really pleased with how the guys battled today.”

Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby called it a good day's work, but he’ll be disappointed with the second race when Ben Ainslie slid past just meters from the finish line to steal second place.

“It was a tough one,” Ashby admitted. “We made a call not to use the Code Zero sail (a big downwind sail used in lighter winds). It was only the last couple minutes of the race where it would have paid off. But they had it up just when we sailed into the lighter pressure and they just pipped us at the end. But the race was fantastic and you could have thrown a blanket over both boats and had trouble picking who was going to get there.”

It was a difficult day for the hometown Artemis Racing who had a mid-fleet finish in the first race before going aground after the finish and damaging their foils. The team was able to sail the second race, but at reduced efficiency which impacted on their last place finish.

“This morning we said we just needed to have a solid day to be in the mix for the double points on Sunday. We didn’t really have much chance in the second race today, but everyone is still quite upbeat,” said skipper Nathan Outteridge.

"We made mistakes but it’s all about how you recover. We’ll get the boat fixed up and be ready for tomorrow.

“To see so many spectators around the race course supporting us is pretty inspiring. We‘ll come back tomorrow and try to put on a show for everyone.”

Racing resumes on Sunday at 1300 CET. Points are doubled for Sunday's two raes.

Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World SeriesResults after Day One of racing:

The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851, when the yacht America, after which the trophy is named, beat the best of the British fleet in a race around the Isle of Wight, U.K. The trophy won on that day was donated in trust through a Deed of Gift and has since become a symbol of immense achievement. It is perhaps the hardest trophy in sport to win. In it’s 165-year history, only four countries have managed to win the America’s Cup.

The America's Cup is currently held by the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, U.S.A.. On September 25, 2013, its team, ORACLE TEAM USA, completed the biggest comeback in sports to retain the trophy it had first won in 2010.

On December 2, 2014, Bermuda was named as the home of the 35th America’s Cup, with the iconic Great Sound as the race course area where the new America’s Cup Class boats (15-meter, foiling, wing-sailed catamarans) from each competing nation will race for the America’s Cup in May/June 2017.

The America’s Cup is honored to partner with Louis Vuitton as the title partner of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers and the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. Louis Vuitton is also the presenting partner of the 35th America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton.

America’s Cup action continues this week, as the fleet descends upon Gothenburg, Sweden for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, with racing from August 29-30.

“The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Gothenburg is an opportunity for the teams to put more points on the board that will count towards the penultimate racing in Bermuda in 2017,” said Russell Coutts, the CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA).

“In the first event last month in Portsmouth, Ben Ainslie was clearly better than the rest and deserved to win. Peter Burling was also very impressive in his first start for Emirates Team New Zealand,” continued Coutts. “However, I’m sure the others will be looking to improve, none more so than Artemis which has a boat stacked with Olympic champions. They definitely have the talent and they will certainly want to put on a better performance in front of their home crowd in Gothenburg."

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series leaderboard is as follows:

To view sailor profiles and team information, please visit the www.americascup.com website and click on the “Teams” tab.

About the Home Team — Artemis Racing

Sweden boasts a centuries old tradition of sailing and first challenged for the America’s Cup in 1977. Today, some of the world’s finest professional sailors hail from the country, including local hero Olympic champion Freddy Lööf, a critical crew member of the America’s Cup Swedish syndicate ARTEMIS RACING, the hometown favorite heading into Gothenburg.

“Artemis Racing has never competed at home before,” said skipper Nathan Outteridge. “So we’re very excited to get there and pay back the support we have in Sweden. It’s going to be awesome. The race course is going to be very tight and compact, which is great for racing and for the spectators to watch it.”

Artemis Racing has a multinational crew comprising some of the most successful and respected sailors and designers in the world. Collectively, the sailing team has competed in 23 Olympics Games, winning 11 medals, 7 gold. Artemis Racing represents Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet (KSSS – the Royal Swedish Yacht Club), the fifth-oldest yacht club in the world.

Gothenburg Race/Event Schedule

The hub of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series will be the 50,000 square meter Race Village in Frihamnen, in the heart of Gothenburg. Visitors can enter the area for free and enjoy activities, concerts and entertainment during the entire event.

August 27th is the designated Tech Day when the AC45F’s are launched and the teams prepare for racing. Then Friday, August 28th marks the official Training Day at the Race Arena in Långedrag. Practice racing takes place during this time.

Four point scoring races are planned for Saturday and Sunday, August 29th-30th, and the team with the best overall result from these races will win the event. The full event schedule is available at: http://acws-gothenburg.americascup.com/en/gothenburg.html

Spectators can follow the racing up close from the shoreline surrounding the Race Arena in Långedrag, from spectator boats on water or on wide screens in the Race Village. Additionally, Oscar II Fort, a facility overlooking the racecourse, will be opened up for visitors for a charge of 50 Krona during the races.

How to Watch Around the World

For America’s Cup fans around the world, there are a number of different ways to follow the high-octane racing in Gothenburg. Many of the international television broadcast rights holders will show live racing Saturday and Sunday, others will have the highlight show. Networks like BT Sport (UK), Canal+ (FRA), CCTV5+ (CHN) and FOX Sports (AUS) are among those to show live racing. NBC/NBCSN in the US will show highlights. Visit www.americascup.com for additional information on where you can watch the race in your country.

A full listing follows at the bottom of this release.

AC Goes Digital with the America’s Cup App

To make it easier for fans to tune in on-the-go, wherever they may be in the world, America’s Cup has launched the new America’s Cup App, available for Android and iOS mobile devices via Google Play and the Apple iTunes store. (The app is not optimized for computers.) The app is free to download and has news, photos and race results.

The America’s Cup App also offers enhanced online coverage through the premium AC+ feature. AC+ will feature live streaming coverage of the races (subject to territorial restrictions) as well as an enhanced ‘second screen’ experience featuring on board cameras, video extras, social chat features and behind-the-scenes storytelling. AC+ is a paid service, available for US$7.99 for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Gothenburg.

“AC+ is about giving a more immersive experience to the viewer,” says Antonio Bertone, the Chief Marketing Officer of the 35th America’s Cup. “Via the re-launched America’s Cup App, the viewer can decide how to watch the racing, by following the broadcast or focusing in on a favorite team via the on-board cameras.”

Where to Find Us

For general news and information about the 35th America’s Cup, please visit:

Ben Ainslie, the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time, and the man who is leading the British challenge for the America’s Cup, holds a narrow lead after the first day of racing at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth.

Ainslie led his team to a win and a second place finish in the two races held on Saturday afternoon on the waters off Portsmouth.

Nearly 50,000 fans were cheering him on from the venue ashore (with many more stacked along the waterfront outside the ticketed venue). Over 15,000 fans were on some 2,000 boats ringed around the race course area.

“You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Ainslie said. “Fantastic conditions, so many people coming out to support the teams. I’m so happy for Portsmouth and for our team. We have so many people on shore working on our behalf and cheering us on. For them to see this level of support is brilliant.”

Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR team leads Emirates Team New Zealand by a single point, the Kiwis posting a win and a third place finish. Rookie helmsman Peter Burling was pleased with the result.

“It was a great day for us to be able to put together a good start and a run in both races and be in the lead at the bottom mark in both races,” he said. “We’re pretty green in these foiling boats so we’re happy to come out of the day in the shape we’re in.”

The man he replaced at Team New Zealand, Dean Barker, is now the CEO and skipper of SoftBank Team Japan. Barker says the new team, sailing together for the first time in Portsmouth, is undergoing a learning process. Today saw the team finish on equal points for fourth place with Groupama Team France.

“We’re working hard to improve but it takes a certain amount of time,” Barker said. “These other teams have been doing a lot of sailing together in different boats, so we have to work hard on making improvement and eliminating mistakes to get closer to the front of the fleet.”

ORACLE TEAM USA, the defending champion, had a challenging day, ending the afternoon in third position, with second and fourth place scores on the day. Artemis Racing struggled to a fifth and sixth place

Saturday delivered glamour conditions on the Solent, to mark the return of America’s Cup racing for the first time in nearly 165-years. Sunshine returned after a day of heavy rains. Wind conditions of 10 to 14 knots allowed the teams to demonstrate their skill on the new foiling class of catamaran, the one-design AC45.

Racing continues on Sunday, with double points on offer for the two races. First start is 1340 local time in Portsmouth.

ORACLE TEAM USA will take to the historic waters of the Solent on Saturday in the first races of the 35th America's Cup. It was here, nearly 165 years ago, that the yacht America won a race around the Isle of Wight to win the trophy we now call the America's Cup.

But that history won't be front of mind when the starting gun fires on the first race of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon.

Five challengers are determined to unseat ORACLE TEAM USA as the defending champion of the oldest trophy in international sport, and skipper Jimmy Spithill says his team has a monumental task in facing up to the challenge.

"It's been a long time since we raced," said Spithill. "I don't think there's any question that this is a very strong group of teams. But that just serves as motivation. We want to compete against the best."

The racing this weekend will determine a champion for the Portsmouth event. But points are carried forward throughout the two year Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, and the overall Series winner is in a favoured position to gain bonus points for racing in 2017.

"This all goes towards the final score for a potential bonus point in the America's Cup, so there's a lot on the line. We'd like to get off on the right foot and post a good result."

It won't be easy. Apart from the competition from five top challengers, there is a new boat to learn in the foiling AC45.

"We've already seen in training how easy it is to get it wrong," Spithill said, referring to several near misses, when the boat comes off its foils and crashes into the water.

"We've had a big nosedive and Tom Slingsby took a big hit. Kinley (Fowler) has taken a knock on the head."

"This is really back to grass roots sailing," said Fowler. "It's a lot more physical on these boats with a lot more choreography going on with the crew. The learning curve is huge. We've been makeing plenty of mistakes, but we're getting better."

The team begins to face up to the challenge with race one scheduled to start at 1340 local time in Portsmouth on Saturday. Four races are scheduled in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Portsmouth, with two races each on Saturday and Sunday.

Ainslie pushed to the fore at Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth

Portsmouth, UK, 07/23/2015. Ben Ainslie, the hometown hero at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth, is finding his rivals are keen on naming him the favourite ahead of this weekend’s racing.

“I think Ben is clearly faster than everyone,” ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill said, to the applause of a home crowd eager to support the local team.

“Honestly, I think he does have a bit of an edge. But every day I think the rest of us have been getting faster. And I think you’ll see that in the racing that is coming up.”

Spithill wasn’t alone in pushing Ainslie forward, although each skipper felt the new foiling versions of the AC45 catamarans would prove to be a leveller.

“Each team has only had their boat for about two weeks,” said Nathan Outteridge of Artemis Racing. “It’s been tough to learn how to sail these foiling boats - the foiling aspect changes how we race. I think it’s going to be close. If you’ve been watching closely there was never the same boat in front... but Ben was in front more than the rest of us.”

Dean Barker is one of the skippers who will be racing with a new crew in Portsmouth as his SoftBank Team Japan is coming to grips with the foiling 45s and learning to sail together - not an easy task as he says mistakes will be punished in this fleet.

“The race course is going to be quite challenging so there’s going to be plenty of opportunities. We've seen that it doesn’t take much to go from the front to the back,” he noted.

Skipper Franck Cammas, from Groupama Team France, agreed.

“We’ve had more boats in front of us than behind us, so we have to change that. But it’s a one-design class so everybody can be fast at one time or another.”

Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby traded gentle barbs with Spithill before talking about what it would take to win this weekend - and his focus is on crew work.

“Get off the starting line well and get around mark one in good shape... (And then you have to) take care of the boat-handling to have an opportunity to win races.”

For all the pressure being put upon him, Ben Ainslie of Land Rover BAR was quick to deflect the attention, noting that every team on the stage was more than capable of winning races.

“All of the teams are going really well. ORACLE TEAM USA and Artemis Racing are the two teams that have progressed from the last Cup with similar personnel, and that shows,” he said. “The rest of us are all new groups trying to come together, but with very talented squads, and I think the racing will be very close.”

Today’s public press conference followed an afternoon Parade of Sail, with the Opening Ceremony of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth scheduled for Thursday evening.

Official practice races are scheduled on Friday before the point-scoring races on Saturday and Sunday. Two races are scheduled each day this weekend, with start times of 13:40 and 14:25 local time in Portsmouth.

SoftBank Team Japan will be led by Dean Barker, who has been appointed skipper and CEO of the Japanese challenger.

Barker brings over 15 years of America's Cup experience to the Japanese team, including having sailed in four America's Cup Matches.

"This is an incredible opportunity to build a new team from the ground up," Barker said from Bermuda where he and team general manager Kazuhiko "Fuku" Sofuku have been meeting with America's Cup officials.

"It's an honour to take on the responsibility of both CEO and skipper of SoftBank Team Japan.

"We're filling the key roles on the team as quickly as we can. I think we're pulling together a very strong team. We want to compete at the head of the fleet and we're assembling a team that is capable of doing that. Our goal is to win the America's Cup."

SoftBank Team Japan was confirmed as a challenger earlier this month. The team has a big job list ahead as it prepares to race at the first America's Cup World Series event in Portsmouth in July.

"In the short term, our job is to be ready to compete in Portsmouth," said Fuku. "Then, our focus will shift to trialling more Japanese sailors as we continue to build and develop our team."

PwC Bermuda to support and promote youth education through sailing and contribute to legacy

PwC Bermuda has been named the Official Audit and Assurance Provider for the 35th America's Cup and Official Audit & Assurance Provider of ORACLE TEAM USA.

Under the agreement, PwC will provide a range of professional services to ACEA (America's Cup Event Authority). PwC will also make a significant contribution to the America's Cup Community Sailing Project through this relationship.

"We're thrilled to have PwC support the America's Cup and especially the Community Sailing Project," said Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America's Cup.

"Having Bermuda based partners for this important initiative demonstrates a commitment to ensure the America's Cup has a wide-ranging impact for all Bermudians."

The Community Sailing Project is due to get under way this summer.

"We are delighted to announce that we have signed an agreement to become an Official Supplier to sailing's most prestigious event," said Arthur Wightman, leader of PwC Bermuda. "We are proud to connect our brand with an event that shares PwC's core values of excellence, teamwork and leadership.

"In reaching this agreement, it was especially important to all of us at PwC that our role aligned with our overall purpose – to build trust in society and solve important problems. Beyond providing our professional services, we are especially proud to play an important role in the America's Cup Community Sailing Project in Bermuda.

"This project will support and promote youth education through sailing and related sailing activities and experiences for youth in Bermuda, with the goal of creating a programme that will sustain well beyond the 35th America's Cup. We are unreservedly committed to playing our part in ensuring that there is a real legacy benefit from the 35th America's Cup that will be felt by the Bermuda community for many years to come."

Employing more than 200 people, and backed by the strength of a global network of 195,000 people in 157 countries, PwC is the largest professional services firm in Bermuda, specialising in insurance and reinsurance, asset management and banking.

Racing in the America's Cup begins with the America's Cup World Series Portsmouth from July 23-26 and continues in Gothenburg, Sweden in August. In October, racing comes to Bermuda for the first time from October 16-18.

SoftBank Corp. and the Kansai Yacht Club announced they have come to an agreement to challenge for the 2017 America's Cup. As SoftBank Team Japan, the team will compete in the 2015 America's Cup World Series events, and challenge for the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda.

The campaign was confirmed today by Kazuhiko Sofuku, "Fuku", a veteran of four previous America's Cup campaigns who has been appointed as the team's general manager.

"To lead a Japanese challenge for the America's Cup is a dream come true," said Fuku, who last raced with a Japanese team for the Cup 15 years ago as bowman for Nippon Challenge during the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series.

"This is a great opportunity for Japan and for Japanese sailors to get back into the America's Cup game," Fuku explained. "We are planning to build up our team using America's Cup World Series events to recruit and train Japanese sailors for our crew."

SoftBank Group representative Masayoshi Son said, "I am thrilled to announce that we will be supporting Team Japan at the America's Cup." He added, "Taking on this major challenge at the pinnacle of yacht races matches with the SoftBank Group's aim to be the global No.1. We look forward to cheering on Team Japan along with all of their supporters."

SoftBank Team Japan is challenging under the banner of the Kansai Yacht Club, among the most distinguished clubs in the country.

"It is an honor for the Kansai Yacht Club to try for the America's Cup for the first time," said Commodore Ko Watanabe. "This is a great challenge to take on, not just for our club, but for the entire country. With support from across the entire nation, I am sure we will represent Japan with pride."

A base level of technical assistance from ORACLE TEAM USA will be provided to SoftBank Team Japan as it prepares for the 2015 America's Cup World Series events.

"SoftBank Team Japan is a very positive addition to the America's Cup," said Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller. "The Japanese challenge will increase interest in the America's Cup across Asia which is good news for all of our teams and partners."

The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited has been named the Official Bermuda Bank of the 2017 America's Cup. Butterfield will provide banking services to the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) and ORACLE TEAM USA.

Brendan McDonagh, Butterfield's Chairman & Chief Executive Officer said, "Butterfield is honoured to have been named the Official Bermuda Bank of the America's Cup. In this capacity, we will be providing a broad range of financial services* to ACEA and team personnel as they establish their operating bases and residences in Bermuda.

"As the host venue for the 2017 America's Cup, Bermuda will gain worldwide exposure as a world-class sailing and vacation destination, and preparations for the racing events will provide a much needed economic boost to the island in the areas of construction, rental housing, tourism, professional services and many other sectors.

"We're pleased to be in a position to assist the ACEA with preparations for staging this important sporting event in our community, and we look forward to a great racing series over the next two years."

The events kick off in Bermuda in October 2015 with the America's Cup World Series races and culminate with the America's Cup Qualifiers, Challenger Playoffs and Finals in June 2017.

"Staging the America's Cup is a massive undertaking," said Scott Smith, the Chief Financial Officer of the America's Cup Event Authority. "The ACEA as well as ORACLE TEAM USA have personnel living and working in Bermuda who require sophisticated local banking services.

"With its full range of personal and business banking products, its robust electronic banking channels and its connectedness to other major financial centres, Butterfield was the right choice as the ACEA's official supplier. We are already working closely with Butterfield and we look forward to a continued strong partnership over the next few years."

The America's Cup is disappointed to learn that Luna Rossa intends to withdraw its challenge for the 2017 America's Cup.

While we have not yet received a formal notice of withdrawal, we take the team's media statement that they are leaving the America's Cup as real.

"I know all are disappointed with this decision taken by Luna Rossa, especially based upon their significant history in the America's Cup," said Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller.

"Since we started the Competitor Forum, I've worked closely with skipper Max Sirena on many issues facing the America's Cup and our teams. We offered a range of solutions for reducing costs by introducing a new America's Cup Class. Unfortunately Luna Rossa wasn't prepared to accept the majority decision, as written in accordance with the rules of the event.

"It's difficult to understand this withdrawal when our shared purpose has been to control expenses, encourage additional entries and build a better future for the Cup. It's even more puzzling as it was Luna Rossa who insisted on the switch to majority rule on these issues.

"But looking at the bigger picture, the America's Cup is now more accessible for new teams and with a new generation of people like Ben Ainslie, Nathan Outteridge, Jimmy Spithill, Franck Cammas and Pete Burling we have a strong foundation for a very competitive event."

STATEMENT LUNA ROSSA TEAM

Team Luna Rossa Challenge is distinctly opposed to the proposal – announced today on the official web site of the America's Cup – to change the Class Rule for the 35th America's Cup and therefore the boat that was previously accepted by all challengers on June 5th 2014.

Luna Rossa does not believe that a sporting event should be disputed in a courtroom and does not intend to initiate a lengthy litigation process that would only bring prejudice to the event.

If the principle of unanimity of all challengers required to change the Class Rule were not to be respected Luna Rossa will be obliged to withdraw from the 35th America's Cup.

Team Luna Rossa trusts that the Defender will quickly announce a public clarification, also to avoid jeopardizing the organization of the America's Cup World Series – Cagliari – Sardinia event planned to take place from June 4 to June 7, 2015.

TEAM LUNA ROSSA CHALLENGE ANNOUNCES ITS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE 35TH AMERICA'S CUP

The result of the vote proposed by the Event Authority with the agreement of the Defender of the 35th America's Cup has overturned, with a majority vote, the America's Cup Class Rule for the boat with which this edition will be held; this happened notwithstanding the fact that such rule had been previously adopted unanimously by the teams and was in force since June 2014.

Following a careful evaluation of the serious implications of this unprecedented initiative, Team Luna Rossa confirms that it will withdraw from the 35th America's Cup.

Team Luna Rossa indeed considers illegitimate the procedure adopted and founded on an evident abuse of process by surreptitious use of procedures to modify the Protocol in order to overturn the Class Rule, which instead requires the unanimity of the teams entered.

This is an attempt to introduce boats that are substantially monotypes and in total contrast with the ultra-centennial tradition of the America's Cup, not to mention a two-month extension period to introduce further modifications to the rules, decided by the majority.

All of the above contributes to a lack of credibility and uncertain technical grounds for what should instead be the most sophisticated sailing competition in the world.

This radical change also implies a waste of important resources already invested based on the rules that were sanctioned in June last year. This means that the claim to reduce costs reveals itself as a pure pretext aimed to annihilate research and development achievements of some teams, and to favor instead preconceived technical and sporting positions by means of changing the most important element in the competition, the boat.

As a confirmation of this, it is important to underline the fact that Luna Rossa frequently advanced proposals aimed at containing costs that however would not have changed the nature of the boats, but these proposals have systematically been rejected by the Defender.

Team Luna Rossa has also taken into consideration the possibility to protest through the Arbitration Panel as foreseen by the Protocol; it has however noted that, ten months after signing the Protocol, the Defender is only now initiating the first formal procedures to compose this important body. This fact contributes to making the entire governance of the Event even less credible and reliable.

Team Luna Rossa regrets the repercussions that this difficult decision will have on the members of the Team - although it will honor all of its contractual obligations - and on the sailing event planned to take place in Cagliari next June and obviously understands the disappointment of the many fans who have supported Luna Rossa during the last four editions of the America's Cup.

Patrizio Bertelli declared: "I want to thank the whole team for its hard work during this past year; regretfully this effort has been frustrated by this manoeuvre that is unprecedented in the history of the America's Cup.

However, in sports, as in life, one cannot always go for compromise, after compromise, after compromise; sometimes it is necessary to make decisions that are painful but must be clear cut, as only these can make everybody aware of the drifts of the system and therefore set the basis for the future: respect of legality and sportsmanship".

The America's Cup teams have agreed to make changes aimed at significantly reducing costs for the 2017 America's Cup.

Central to these changes is the introduction of an exciting new America's Cup Class - a wing-sailed, foiling catamaran between 45 and 50 feet.

"The move to the new America's Cup Class is a major step forward for the America's Cup," said Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller, following the vote.

"Collectively, the teams have agreed current costs are neither justified, nor sustainable, and a majority have together taken a sensible course of action to cut costs. I believe this puts the America's Cup on a firm foundation for today and for the future."

Crucially, the new class will cost much less over the life of a campaign, with potential savings across design, build and operations, making it a revolutionary cost-saving measure for the sport in both the short and long term.

"The changes being made are to reduce the current costs and complexity which are barriers to new teams wishing to enter the America's Cup," said Iain Percy, the team manager for Artemis Racing.

A majority of the current teams favored the new class, with the expectation it will be used in the next edition of the America's Cup as well, in order to lower the barrier to entry - both technological and financial - to new teams.

Looking towards the future, the new America's Cup Class will put the event on a path towards economic sustainability. Numerous one-design components will focus the design effort on areas that have an impact on performance, cutting costs significantly, but not diminishing the design challenge.

"The America's Cup - like Formula One - has to be a design race as well as a race on the water," noted Ben Ainslie, the team principal at Ben Ainslie Racing. "That has always been part of the Cup's appeal. That is what attracts some of the world's best engineers - people like Adrian Newey, who has shown a real passion for the design challenge of the America's Cup."

"This wasn't an easy process," admitted ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. "The established teams, ourselves included, were well down the path of designing an AC62. But there is a bigger picture to consider. We needed to bring the costs down, but we had to respect the design component of the event as that's always been one of the biggest challenges in winning the America's Cup."

The savings the competitors will realize in this edition of the Cup may spark additional entries, with at least one potential team from Asia expected to challenge and other international teams considering their options.

"To be a global success, the America's Cup needs to be accessible to the best teams, not just the biggest and wealthiest ones," said Franck Cammas, the skipper of Team France. "So we must change in this way."

"While it's true there are a few critics of this move, we have to adjust to the time. This is a rule that provides the essential of the America's Cup - the design challenge, the sport, the athletic spectacle - without such a prohibitive cost," said Olympic medalist Roland Gaebler who has been working to establish a German Challenge. "My focus had been on the next America's Cup but with these changes we may be able to accelerate that."

The rule changes were passed by a majority vote of the Competitor Forum, comprising the six teams currently entered in the America's Cup. An updated Protocol and a new Class Rule will be published this week.

A majority of the teams has also now indicated a preference that all of the racing in 2017 be conducted at a single venue, Bermuda. The America's Cup Event Authority will consider this in nominating a venue for the America's Cup Qualifiers.